


Missing Link

by Nothing_You_Can_Prove, tylerbamafan34



Series: Collaborations [3]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Implied Sexual Content, Kissing, Mystery, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Multiple, POV Third Person, amberprice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-10-05 18:39:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 31,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10314497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nothing_You_Can_Prove/pseuds/Nothing_You_Can_Prove, https://archiveofourown.org/users/tylerbamafan34/pseuds/tylerbamafan34
Summary: Great love is a lot like a good memory: you can focus on it, and try to force it, but the more you do… the more you seem to push it away. But if you are patient, and you hold still, then maybe, just maybe… it’ll come to you.





	1. Scratching the Surface

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome to another new fic. Tyler is joining me again for this one and came up with the concept. It might be a little confusing at first, but it'll slowly get clearer as we go. That's the plan anyway. So yeah, let's see how this goes.

**Prologue: Scratching the Surface**

Blackwell Academy's campus grounds were empty, save for a few rebellious students daring enough to skip class. Inside, the hallways were deathly silent, like the ghost town of Arcadia Bay itself. That eerie peace wouldn't last too much longer now. It was nearing the end of the day, students restlessly watching the seconds tick by in their respective classrooms, getting ever closer to their freedom. Such a student was Rachel Amber. Her last class of the day was photography with Mark Jefferson. She had never come across someone who liked the sound of their own voice as much as he did, nor someone so cringey. His whole 'down with the kids' act could get pretty embarrassing at times.

Most had switched off by now, too close to the end of class to care. Others had been asleep soon after the class started. There were a few eager students such as Stella, Kate and Victoria… although she was probably paying attention for all the wrong reasons. To suck up. Bored of Mr. Jefferson's droning lecture, Rachel sighed softly and turned her attentions elsewhere. Outside. Lost in thought, she stared out over the campus grounds, letting her mind wander as she often did.

Over the past couple of weeks in particular, she had started to notice some… very subtle yet strange things. Things that just felt like they shouldn't be there. Or maybe that they _should_ be there, but didn't fit for some reason or another. It was difficult to explain why, but she couldn't shake the feeling. The strangest of all being that nobody else seemed to pick up on them… or if they did, they were subconsciously ignoring their existence. Even when she had pointed them out to people like Chloe, she hadn't given a helpful insight nor did she seem keen to discuss them, passing them off as insignificant anomalies. All the more reason to find them intriguing.

Arcadia Bay had always been mysterious, moreso now than ever. The sleepy, secluded town clouded in mystic culture and tales, or maybe drowning in them was more apt. If you looked hard enough, there even seemed to be some thin thread of connectivity. Then again, anything could interconnect if you tried hard enough. Still, coincidence could only carry you so far.

Maybe she was overthinking it, but she didn't think so.

Soon enough, the bell rang to signal the end of class. All of them began packing up, eager to escape school for the day. That didn't seem to stop Mr. Jefferson from talking over the noise right up until the very end, though. As expected, Victoria stuck to him like glue the second she could. She always did. Better than her starting a fight at least. Eager to get the hell out before she had the chance, Rachel shoved her belongings in her bag, slung it over her shoulder and made a beeline for the door.

"Ah, Rachel… mind if I have a word?" Mr. Jefferson asked as she passed, earning her a glare from Victoria for unintentionally interrupting their conversation just by being there. Another notch of ever growing hatred.

Something deep down inside screamed at her to keep her distance from him. Never be on her own while around him. It had been like it for a while now and she had no clue why it was happening. That feeling of unease was so overwhelmingly strong that she couldn't go against it.

"Sorry, I'm really busy now. Maybe another time," she replied sounding as apologetic as possible. It wasn't a lie really. She would be busy hanging around with Chloe no doubt.

"Right, of course." He seemed both dejected and a little frustrated about the decline, but didn't pursue it.

Not giving it another thought, Rachel headed out into the hallway, weaving her way through the mass of people. The sooner she could get out, the better. Along the way, other students caught her eye, trying to get her attention in one way or another. Vortex Club members either smiling and waving or giving her a contempt filled look if they were in Victoria's little faction. Jocks flexed their muscles, leering and wolf whistling as she passed. Other didn't look at her directly, side eyeing her shyly or if they did catch her eye by mistake, smiled awkwardly. One or two gave her the cold shoulder, probably jealous of her near celebrity status at Blackwell. She responded to all of them with the appropriate smile or look, playing the field as usual to keep up appearance. Everybody knew who she was and they all had their own opinions of Rachel Amber. None of them really accurate.

Finally, she made it outside and took a deep breath of fresh air. Almost immediately, she heard the sound of wheels on concrete. Out near the front were a group of skaters, blaring music and showing off their skills. Rolling her shoulders, she approached the small group. She caught their attention almost immediately, all of them waving for her to hurry up and come over there. Out of all the people she hung out with, the skaters were probably the most chilled out. One of them stood out more than the others, a tall girl with chin length blue hair and a very punk style. She was more of an honorary member since she didn't actually go to Blackwell herself.

Once Rachel was close enough, she rolled to a stop just in front of her. "Goddamn it, Rach. Way to go taking all the attention away from my kickass skater skills."

Rachel just shrugged. "Not my fault I'm so eye catching, Chloe."

Chloe rolled her eyes, stifling a very slight smile at her confidence. "Trust you to turn that into some ego boosting compliment…"

"You'd have probably only fallen flat on your ass anyway. I did you a favor," Rachel pointed out smugly. As much as Chloe hated to admit it, she wasn't as good at skateboarding as she liked to think. Mostly because she didn't want to put the practice in.

"I am so going to hit you right now." Her eyes narrowed at the suggestion that she might not actually be a pro skater, true or not.

Swiftly, Rachel diverted her attention to something else. With Chloe, sometimes she was never quite sure if she was joking or not. Best to avoid finding out. "That can wait. We have plans, remember?"

Nodding excitedly, Chloe said her goodbyes to the other skaters and set off towards the parking lot with Rachel following close behind. "Right. To the Batcave it is."

"I wish. Can you imagine how fun that would be? Beats a musty, abandoned junkyard building any day." Between them, they would cause immeasurable chaos. That much was for certain.

"Damn right! It'd be awesome…" the bluenette's excitement dropped when she came down from her fantasy world back to reality, "but we have to make do for now." A flicker of mischief glinted in her blue eyes. "Until we rob a bank for major cash, that it."

"I'm down for a bank heist." Above all, Rachel was a thrill seeker through and through. Anything for a kick.

Chloe smirked at the predictable approval. "I thought you might be. Partners in crime think alike."

They made it to Chloe's extremely beat up truck and piled inside, which was as usual parked across the handicap space, ready to head out to the junkyard. While it might not look like it, the junkyard provided them with a sanctuary. Very few people ever ventured out that way and if they did, they didn't stay long. Best of all, David never went there. When they got there, they immediately made a beeline for the unassuming graybrick shack sat near the railway tracks. Over the years, they'd collected all kinds of trinkets and it'd become a second home. Once settled on the makeshift seats, the pair began to smoke just as they always did. Here, they would be undisturbed.

As Rachel blew out a mouthful of smoke, her hazel eyes focused in on the opposite wall at some graffiti she and Chloe had added to commemorate finding this place and claiming it. Something was… odd about it. On closer inspection, she figured out why. There was something there that hadn't been before. She was sure of it. Underneath her own addition were the words 'Max was here'. Surely, Chloe must have noticed, so why wasn't she saying anything? That seemed like the kind of thing she would get pissed about, someone invading in on their secluded world here.

Unable to ignore it, Rachel decided to just say it directly. "Don't think that was here before."

"What?" Rachel pointed at the wall, showing what she found strange. Chloe looked at it for a second, then shrugged. "Probably always been here and you were too high to notice."

Rachel shook her head, standing up and going over to get a better look. "I think I would notice it, high or not."

"I dunno, maybe someone came in when we were away and decided to be an asshole. Who cares, it's just graffiti," Chloe replied, sounding a little defensive.

That didn't seem likely either. It looked too… old. Like it had been there for at least a couple weeks. If not longer. They came here pretty much every day, so that couldn't be it. She ran her fingers over it, wondering how it had gotten here and who had done it. Presumably someone named Max, but that wasn't much to go on. For now, she decided to drop it.

"Maybe you're right." Rachel didn't _really_ think that, but she didn't want to start an argument over something so stupid.

Chloe let out a small sigh of relief. "Glad you've seen some sense. Now, let's just chill and not worry about anything."

"Sounds good to me." Despite agreeing, Rachel couldn't quite take her mind off the weird graffiti addition. This was exactly the kind of oddly placed thing she had been noticing recently. Something that just seemed to suddenly appear out of nowhere or seem to be referencing something nobody knew about. That both belonged and didn't all at the same time. Maybe she really was going crazy… and maybe, just maybe, she was onto something.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just what is going on? Stay tuned to find out. Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoyed the prologue. There's more to come.


	2. Inkling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. Hope you enjoy this next chapter.

**Chapter One: Inkling**

From the way Rachel was acting now, much quieter than usual, Chloe could tell that she hadn't really dropped their conversation about the graffiti. More like she was waiting for more proof. She had always been infuriatingly stubborn like just couldn't understand why she was so caught up on the graffiti. So what if someone had added their own name to the wall? People did that all the time. Nobody cared. Hell, she'd seen walls plastered with spray paint, words and images built on or covered up multiple times over. Except… the questions Rachel was asking made her feel uneasy. She didn't know why, but it did. It wasn't the first time this had happened either, which made it worse.

She grunted, standing up as a train came rumbling past the junkyard. The noise helped drown out a few of the weird, jumbled up thoughts in her head. A more than welcomed distraction. She blinked as she felt a hand on her wrist, looking down at Rachel in surprise. "Yeah?"

"You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" she shot back with a question herself. Whatever discussion this strange feeling would lead to, she totally wasn't ready for it yet. Or ever.

Rachel didn't seem convinced at all by that weak deflection attempt. "I feel insulted that you think you can deter me with such a bullshit reply."

"I said I was fine, so drop it, okay?" Chloe snapped defensively. Rachel always just had to push her.

Not willing to give up either, Rachel dug her heels in and pressed forward. "No, not until you tell me what's going on."

Chloe grit her teeth, biting back the more insulting replies just on the tip of her tongue. "I don't have to tell you every single little thing I'm thinking."

"This is obviously not a 'little thing'," Rachel replied, a flicker of frustrated concern entering her hazel eyes. "I've known you long enough to tell when something's really bothering you. When I _should_ push."

Tired of arguing, Chloe gave up. She felt a headache coming on and was in no state to butt heads. "I dunno, it's… I can't really explain it."

"Try."

"It'll sound stupid…" the bluenette sighed. She hadn't even sorted it all out in her head yet, let alone in a coherent enough way to explain to someone else.

A slight smirk quirked at Rachel's lips. "I'm used to that from you."

Narrowing her eyes, Chloe shoved her shoulder, not lightly either. "You are such a bitch sometimes, you know that?"

"I do my best," Rachel chuckled, shuffling closer to her friend so she couldn't ignore the situation. "So come on, spill it. Don't make me drag it out of you."

"Well, I've just been feeling… strange lately. Like, I dunno, something isn't right?" Chloe grimaced at her wording, trying hard to verbalize how she felt. "You keep asking about weird shit and it makes that feeling worse. Kind of like when you suddenly realize you've lost something, like your keys or wallet, but much, much stronger." Sighing, she slid her beanie off her head, running her fingers through her faded blue locks. "Told you it'd sound stupid…"

There was a moment of silence as Rachel pondered what she had been told. "Maybe not."

Chloe shook her head, wringing the worn beanie in her hands. "Of course it does. None of it makes sense and it's frustrating. Maybe I'm just going crazy."

A brief, mischievous grin crossed Rachel features. "You kind of already were, but I don't think that's it."

"Then what _is_ it then, Sherlock?" Chloe pressed impatiently. It was all well and good Rachel telling her this, but it meant nothing without something substantial to back it up.

After a moment of deep thought, Rachel simply shrugged. "Beats me. Still, I don't think you should be so dismissive of it. Could be something important."

That made Chloe frown. "Important how?"

"I don't have all the answers… yet. Give it time and think it over. In the meantime, we can do a little investigating." Rachel took a small notebook from under the makeshift bench, opening the next page and doodling down the graffiti. "This isn't the first weird thing I've noticed."

Chloe's eyes fell on the open pages, noticing random drawings and words dotted around the page, some she vaguely recognized. "You've been keeping track?"

Mid-drawing, Rachel didn't look up but nodded. "Why not? Everyone has been acting strange recently. Thought I'd make a note of it. If nothing else, it might be fun making up conspiracy theories. Not that I don't think something crazy is going on." Once finished, she snapped the book shut and shoved it in her bag. "Either way, it stops the boredom."

There wasn't much to argue with there. Arcadia Bay provided very little in the way of entertainment. You had to make your own fun. "True enough."

"Like I said, I'm pretty sure something _is_ going on, we just have to find out what." That would be the difficult part.

"We?"

Rachel grinned cheekily. "I couldn't do it without my trusty sidekick."

"I'm hardly a sidekick," Chloe protested immediately, begrudging the low status.

"Partner in crime then," the aspiring model corrected herself, "if you're going to be picky. Doesn't matter, so long as we get to the bottom of things. You're on board, right?"

"Sure, I guess. Don't think we'll find anything, but it's not like I have anything better to do." She and Rachel had done crazier things in the past. "So, where do we start?"

Happy to see Chloe along for the ride, Rachel's mind began whirring with possibilities. "That's the spirit. Hmm… well, the graffiti seems a good place, right?"

"You really won't let that go, huh?" Chloe asked with a sigh. She couldn't shake off that feeling of unease when she looked at the graffiti.

"Nope, not until I know for sure." Looking over at the graffiti, Rachel began speaking her thoughts. "There isn't much to go on, but we can deduce a couple things. Presumably, the name mentioned is that of the person who wrote it. Doesn't really strike me as a codename or anything, too normal for that."

"If you're using a codename, it'd sound cooler. Like, Lucifer or Hellhound," Chloe added excitedly, ready to list off a whole range of possible, yet irrelevant, names.

"Exactly, maybe not all devil themed, though," Rachel chuckled at her friend's predictable choice.

"Pfft, if you say so. Wasted opportunity."

"Max could be short for any number of names, so that doesn't help much. As far as handwriting goes… again, difficult. Maybe we should take samples..." Rachel wondered aloud, tapping her chin with the pen.

"Oh yeah, because _that_ will go down well," Chloe scoffed. Arcadia might be a small town, but it was next to impossible to check the graffiti against every single person who passed through.

"Do you have any better ideas?" When Chloe remained silent, Rachel smiled smugly. "Didn't think so. Besides, it was only a suggestion."

A little annoyed at getting caught out like that, Chloe crossed her arms. "What are you even hoping to find doing this?"

That was an easy question to answer. "Mystery. Adventure. Answers. Don't you want that?"

"Well, yeah," Chloe admitted reluctantly, "but… who says we'll find any?"

"We won't if we don't look. Can't hurt to try," Rachel flicked through her notebook, pondering their next move. "Maybe we should have a look for other graffiti mentioning this 'Max'. Blackwell's full of it. Seems like the best place to hit up first."

Blackwell had a ton of graffiti, making this a difficult task to achieve. "How did I let myself get roped into this…?"

"Because deep down, even if you don't want to admit it, you know I'm right. And spending time with me makes anything worth it." By the end, Rachel was grinning from ear to ear.

Chloe rolled her eyes melodramatically. "Ah, modesty… a virtue you don't possess."

"You know it." She stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "Come on, let's fire up the ol' Mystery Machine and look for clues."

"You are getting _way_ too into this," Chloe observed as she too stood up.

"And you aren't getting excited enough, so I have to overcompensate," Rachel replied with a smile.

After checking the rest of their junkyard hideout for suspicious graffiti and coming up blank, they piled into Chloe's truck and headed back to Blackwell. Neither of them really knew what they were going to find, but couldn't wait to find out. A unifying thread was that both of them wanted answers, just to different questions. This little graffiti treasure hunt might seem like a fun way to pass the time, but it was much more than that. Maybe this was much bigger than them, than Arcadia Bay itself. That was the feeling Rachel especially couldn't shake. For some reason, one she didn't really understand, she knew this was important to investigate. Call it a gut instinct, divine providence, fate, or whatever other name you wanted to use, she just… knew.

As for Chloe, she had been subconsciously avoiding the signs, as had everyone else in Arcadia Bay… all except Rachel. Under different circumstances, she might think that the blonde was setting all this up herself for an adventure. That wasn't likely, though, even Rachel had her limits. Everything about this felt… strange. She had no idea what was going on, but she planned to find out, one way or the other.

The drive back felt much longer than the one there, maybe that had something to do with the newly added suspense. When they finally arrived, Chloe parked up in her usual spot - across the handicap spaces - and they proceeded to Rachel's dorm room to get set up for their hunt.

"So, what do we need?" Chloe asked as they entered the room.

"Well, not much for now. Just ourselves, an inquisitive spirit and my trusty notebook. Maybe some snacks too. Don't know how long we'll be out for and I don't want to hear you complaining the whole way. Not my idea of fun." Gathering together some pens, she vaguely motioned towards the chest of drawers near her bed. "I should have some in the bottom drawer. Never know when you'll feel hungry."

"Hate to break it to you, but I kind of already know about your snack stash," Chloe added smugly as she made her way over to the chest of drawers, digging around in the bottom until she came across the not-so-hidden cache.

"I was wondering if you had. Might explain a few things," Rachel chuckled. The last thing Chloe could be described as was subtle. "Guess I'll have to rethink my hiding spot."

Chloe shrugged, shoving the snacks into a bag. "You can try, but I'll probably find it again."

Locating what she needed, Rachel spun around and added her offering to the bag. "Knowing you, yes. You're like a damn bloodhound when it comes to food."

"You know it." Chloe grinned as she slung the bag over her shoulder, ready to head out. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Righto, Watson," Rachel agreed in her 'best' British accent, not to say it was any good.

Stopping to turn around just to give her a disapproving stare, Chloe shook her head. "Please, never do that again. Besides, I'm more a Sherlock, thanks."

Rachel playfully nudged her shoulder as she overtook her, striding confidently down the hallway like she owned the place. "Lighten up. This is the time for great adventure and questing. Mysteries and mayhem. Daring and heroism."

Chloe rolled her eyes at the over-enthusiasm. "You always did know how to sell a bad plan."

"It's a skill of mine," Rachel slowed her pace, thinking about the best place to start. "First off… to the fountain. There's a shit ton of graffiti there. Seems as good a place as any to start, right?"

"Is that a rhetorical question?" the bluenette asked.

"Just nod your head and agree with me for once, minus a fight. Pretty please," the blonde pleaded, knowing that she would give in any second now. Her prediction wasn't too far off.

"Whatever, let's go," Chloe sighed, adjusting the bag strap before walking on ahead.

Realizing that was the closest she would get to agreement, Rachel shrugged and continued towards their destination. Her friend still seemed a little reluctant to dig further, totally not like her. Normally, she would jump at the chance to investigate and maybe cause some trouble along the way. Was something holding her back or was she just being difficult today?

Either way, they had bigger things to deal with for now. When they reached the fountain in the middle of the front grounds, Rachel began to circle it. She wasn't quite sure what to expect, hoping that she would be able to just sense the out of place artwork. A lot of it she recognized, nothing of note. One or two she had added. About three-quarters of the way round, she stopped dead in her tracks. Chloe, who was trudging behind her, nearly slammed into her, not realizing she had stopped.

"Jeez, Rach, bit of warning next time would be appreciated." The plea went unheard as Rachel crouched down, getting a closer look at the graffiti that caught her eye. She ran her fingers over the brick, scrutinizing her discovery. It didn't look fresh, like it had been there for a good month or so, but it did feel oddly out of place.

Motioning for Chloe to relinquish the bag, she took out her notebook and flicked to the page from earlier, comparing the handwriting. As far as she could tell, it matched. Loopy and smooth. A promising start.

"Found something?" the bluenette asked, a strange mixture of curiosity and apprehension in her voice.

"Maybe. What do you think?" Rachel waved towards the graffiti, drawing her attention to it. It was short and simple. It seemed a little rushed to, the end of the last word clumsily written.

**Dead end. Go back three spaces and repeat.**

Chloe frowned at the fountain, confusion written all over her face. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Maybe whoever wrote this felt stuck in a loop," Rachel thought aloud, running through various possibilities in her mind. "What kind of loop? That's the interesting question…"

"Well, unless you have mystic powers, I don't think we'll ever find out," Chloe pointed out, letting out a small sigh of relief. Just like the graffiti said, they'd hit a dead end. For some reason, she felt nervous about possibly finding… something. She didn't know what, or why, but she would be quite happy just going back to Rachel's dorm room right now. At the same time, a very slight, deep buried need to investigate hung in the background of her mind. It kept trying to push through, halted in its tracks by her apprehension.

"Not with this on its own…" Rachel felt a sudden compulsion to move location, to Blackwell's main building. More specifically, the bathroom. She turned to Chloe with a grin, eager to appeal to her competitive streak. "Race you."

"Where are we even going?" Chloe called after her as she shot off like a bullet. She could hear her friend following behind, doing her best to keep up. Rachel knew where, as for why… that remained a mystery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a great day and see you next time.


	3. Hide and Seek

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back to the fic. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Chapter Two: Hide and Seek**

When Rachel reached the bathroom, she came to an abrupt halt. She turned around to see Chloe close behind her, panting lightly from the unexpected exertion. "Damn it, Rach…"

"Guess that means I win, huh?" Rachel added smugly.

"Only because you cheated," Chloe countered, giving her an unappreciative scowl.

That accusation made Rachel laugh. "Like you can complain about cheating. A bit hypocritical, don't you think?"

"Difference is, it's okay when I do it." Chloe took a deep breath before getting a better look at her surroundings. "Did you just _really_ need the bathroom or something? Don't think I've ever seen you run so quickly. Well, maybe once."

"Not quite." Without explaining further, she entered the bathroom, holding the door open behind her. "In your own time."

Giving her a strange look, Chloe hesitantly followed after her. She stopped just in the doorway, looking like she wanted to be anywhere else. To stop her from running off, Rachel grabbed hold of her wrist and pulled her firmly inside. Immediately, Rachel began scanning the room for obvious changes. She really felt like a detective now, solving some huge mystery nobody else could figure out.

Noticing that Chloe was just standing there, Rachel looked over her shoulder with a meaningful look. "Little help?"

"R-right…" she stuttered, seeming distracted.

Keen to get to the bottom of this, Rachel temporarily stopped her her search. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Chloe muttered evasively, refusing to meet her gaze.

"Chloe…" Rachel pressed, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

Realizing that she wasn't getting out of this, Chloe reluctantly replied. "Something just… doesn't feel right. Can't explain it."

"Hmm…" This new information, coupled with her overwhelming compulsion to search here, had to mean something. "We must be looking in the right place then."

"Gee, thanks for the concern," the bluenette mumbled under her breath.

Taking a step closer to Chloe, gently lifting her head up so she was looking at her, Rachel offered an apologetic grin. "Sorry, didn't mean to sound like I didn't care. You know I care, right?"

"Yeah… I do."

"Good, then let's get this done… and I can prove it again to you later if you want," she added as an afterthought.

Chloe nodded, a little more motivated. "Fine, let's wrap this up quickly."

She walked over to the nearest wall, giving it a once over, while Rachel got back to work. Chloe still couldn't shake the unease, but she pushed through it. It was really strange how the second she had entered here was when she started feeling this way. What made here so different from anywhere else at Blackwell? Whatever it was, she hoped it would pass. The longer she stayed there, the more intense the feeling became. Again, that worry that she had lost something important crept back up on her. If only she could figure out _what_ was missing, that might help. Sometimes, it felt like it was right there on the tip of her tongue and then… gone as soon as it came. It was unbelievably frustrating.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something. A piece of graffiti she couldn't quite remember being there before. Or maybe it had… she wasn't sure. "Rach, come here."

The blonde strode across to where she was stood, curious to see what she had found. Chloe pointed out the questionable graffiti. "Was this one here before?"

Again, it was in that same handwriting as before, a good indication. Rachel took out her notebook, quickly adding it to the growing collection. If the last one had sounded ominous, it didn't even compare to this new discovery. **Torn from the Jaws of Death… over and over. Here marks the first.**

"Okay… this is getting a bit creepy. Maybe someone is just trying to mess with us… or, whoever finds these weird messages," Chloe theorized sheepishly. She could handle horror scary, but this… this was something totally different. "Haloween's coming up in like a month or two, right? That must be it. You know how kids at Blackwell get with this kind of shit." She was trying to reassure herself, pass it off as a coincidence.

"I wonder…" It would be an elaborate stunt to pull off, taking time and effort. Would anyone at Blackwell bother when they could get their prank kicks much easier? "Guess there's only one way to find out."

"Don't say what I think you're about to say…" Chloe pleaded in vain.

"We keep searching until we find an answer." Noticing the trepidation, Rachel decided to call it a day for now. She needed Chloe on side and pushing her too hard wouldn't help either of them. "Something tells me it'll take longer than a day to get this sorted, so we'll stop for now. Happy?"

She shrugged noncommittally, shoving her hands in her pockets. "I guess."

"Honestly, where is your adventuring spirit?" Rachel shook her head as they left the bathroom. "Normally, you're all over this kind of thing."

"Well, this isn't 'normal'." Far from it. If Rachel was feeling even half as strange as she was, she would understand the reluctance. Still, she couldn't deny the slight pull, a flicker of curiosity. Or something like that, at least. Whether she wanted to investigate or not, Rachel would drag her along anyway.

* * *

**Later…**

Chloe laid on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Rachel had long since been asleep, lightly snoring. Sleep seemed to come so easily to her and the bluenette found herself feeling a little jealous. For Rachel, today had been full of excitement and adventure, for her… it was more complicated. The search for answers had only turned up more questions. Maybe somewhere down the line, things would start making sense. That didn't help her know, though.

Tired from spending the day investigating, among other things, she let her eyes slowly close with a sigh. This could be tomorrow's problem… as always.

_A voice calling to her, both familiar and foreign. Flashes of places she knew, but under different circumstances. Ones she had never experienced. So many emotions flooding her, anger, resentment, fear… relief, joy and… lots of others she couldn't separate. Everything was jumbled up, hard to follow coherently. Just as she managed to follow one thread, it became entangled with about ten others. That feeling of loss, the one which plagued her while she was awake, lessened ever so slightly. Whatever was going on, maybe it was related somehow. Shame it was too muddled up to make sense of…_

When Chloe woke, the weird images from her dream persisted. Again, she couldn't really understand them, but seeing them brought a weird sense of comfort… even if it was bittersweet. Once that feeling faded, she just felt even worse than before. Just what the hell was going on? First weird graffiti and now… this, whatever _this_ was.

"What's the scary expression for?" The familiar voice brought her from her thought. She turned to see Rachel looking at her curiously.

Sighing, Chloe rubbed her face with her hands. "Just had a weird dream, that's all."

"What about?" Rachel pressed, knowing all too well that whatever it was bothered her. The attempts at deflection and her expression gave it away.

"Honestly, I don't even know. A lot happened all at once. All I can remember clearly is a voice. Calling out to me." Knowing what her friend was already going to ask, Chloe cut in before she had the chance. "Don't know who it belongs to before you ask."

Rachel shuffled onto her side, deep in thought. "Interesting. So, we start investigating all this weird graffiti and then you have a strange dream."

Chloe could almost see the cogs turning in her mind, trying to connect all the dots… whether they fitted or not. "It might not even be related, Rach."

"And it _might_ be," she insisted, not willing to back down on this. She knew this was important somehow. Until she found out why she had to keep looking. "We can't say either way. Guess we just have to keep at it."

Shaking her head, Chloe yawned. "Figured you'd say something like that. You sure seem intent on seeing this to the end."

Offering up a smirk, Rachel shoved her shoulder, almost pushing her off. "Of course I am. Mysteries are always fun to uncover."

"Jeez, you are violent sometimes…" the bluenette grumbled, barely saving herself from the fall.

Grinning evilly, Rachel climbed over her and got out of bed, stretching as far as she could above her head. "Okay, nap time's over. Since we're both up, may as well go exploring again."

"Ooh, breaking curfew. Such a bad girl. What about your spotless school record?" Chloe teased playfully. Of course, she knew the 'real' Rachel was nothing like the way Blackwell portrayed her. Realistically, she would have a record more like the blue-haired punk if she didn't hide her 'unsavory' behavior as well.

Rachel walked over to the window, peering out into the oncoming darkness. "It's only a problem if I get caught and I have absolutely no intention of that."

Realizing she really wasn't going to get out of this, Chloe shrugged. "Well, not my ass on the line. They already kicked me out. What else are they gonna do?"

"Exactly. Now, where to start…?" Just as she asked this question, it was answered for her. She just knew where they should go next. "Say, you still have that spare roof key you had cut when you swiped David's set?"

"Sure do. Don't go anywhere without it," Chloe stated proudly, patting her pocket.

Grinning as the plan came together, the aspiring model motioned towards the door with her head, grabbing a jacket from the back of her desk chair. "Let's go do some stargazing then."

"Hey, I thought you wanted to…" The bluenette was just talking to herself by this point, Rachel having already left. "...oh, never mind."

"What took you so long?" Rachel asked smugly, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed as Chloe exited the room.

Instead of replying, Chloe just glared at her and strode down the hallway knowing full well that Rachel would have to jog to catch up with her long strides. When she glanced over her shoulder to see how far the blonde had gotten, she hadn't expected to see her running at full pelt. Dodging out of the way at the last second and grabbing Rachel by the arm so she didn't fall headfirst down the stairs, Chloe spun her round so she came to stop in front of her.

Catching her balance, Rachel exhaled deeply. "Phew, well that was fun. Was gonna tackle you but this works too."

"Are you actually trying to get caught?" Chloe whispered, conscious of the other people in the dorm who may or may not actually be asleep yet. No need to draw extra attention to themselves, especially with Victoria around, someone who would quite happily get them in trouble.

"What's life without a little danger?" Before Chloe could respond, Rachel stood up on her tiptoes and stole a brief kiss, grinning at the dumbfounded expression she received in return. "Boring is the answer. Now, let's get going." She grabbed onto the bluenette's wrist and pulled her along, eager to get to their next pit stop.

A bit confused at the past couple of minutes, Chloe let herself get dragged along to the rooftop. Resistance was futile by this point. This wasn't their first time sneaking out, so they had a good idea of the patrols Blackwell's security took and roughly how many there were. Only three as a rule, usually less. One covered the grounds, another the main campus building and the last the pool. Since they didn't need to leave the dorm building, they should be safe so long as the grounds guard didn't spot them. Using the key when they got to the top of the stairs, the pair stepped out into the chilly air, dusk rapidly falling. Switching the flashlight on her phone, Rachel began to search the rooftop for some clues, Chloe reluctantly joining her seconds later.

After some time, and much complaining from Chloe about the drop in temperature, Rachel stumbled across another suspicious piece of graffiti. **Get it right this time.** The writing was accompanied by a spiraling swirl, a small red x roughly marked at the start.

"Huh, that's different. Haven't seen a picture before," Rachel muttered to herself as she got to work copying the image and words.

Chloe rolled her eyes, fished out her smartphone and snapped a picture. "You can at least be a little bit more modern about this Rach," she snorted as she pocketed her phone.

"Honestly, you have no appreciation for the classics." Rachel snapped the notebook shut, done with it for now.

"I just don't want to spend three hours standing around freezing my ass off, thanks," Chloe shot back, sticking her tongue out. "We done here?"

"Oh come on," Rachel pouted. "Let's get some blankets and hang out here for a while."

"Fine, fine, but you owe me." Chloe sighed, resigned to her fate. She couldn't argue with Rachel when she was like this and to be honest she was not _totally_ against it.

The begrudging response made the blonde grin. "Uh-huh, _sure_ I do."

Sneaking back down the stairs once more to grab a handful of blankets and pillows from Rachel's dorm room, the pair made their way back to the rooftop and got settled. Night was drawing in, the sky shifting from the warm, watercolor palette of day to the shadowy cloak of darkness as the sun set. Neither of them said much, just watching the gradual change. As the temperature continued to drop, they instinctively huddled closer together to preserve warmth.

"It's still hella cold, but… could be worse," Chloe finally conceded.

Rachel allowed herself a genuine smile at that. Chloe could be dense sometimes. "You know you love it," she murmured in the taller girl's ear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have an awesome day and see you next time.


	4. Faded

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back to the story. Might not be able to update much between now and June for all stories as a heads up if you didn't already know.

**Chapter Three: Faded**

As Rachel and Chloe laid there on the rooftop staring up at the cloudless sky, the blonde felt a subtle shift in her mind. Maybe she had just imagined it, but it was like dimming a light still there but much weaker. A candle reaching the end of its wick, still struggling to find something to burn, to keep the flame from going out, to stop everything being plunged into darkness and cold.

She felt a shiver run down her spine, attributing it to the chill on the night breeze. "Weird…"

"What is?" Chloe asked, noticing the shudder and doing her best to keep the girl next to her warm, sharing body heat.

Rachel tucked her hair behind her ear, fiddling with the blue feather earring dangling from her left ear. "I dunno. Before I just kinda knew where we should look next, now… it's like the signal's blocked or something."

Chloe's face twisted with confusion, wondering what the blonde was muttering about. "Not really sure what you're going on about, but… okay. If you say so. Guess we'll just have to wait around until whatever, or whoever, is guiding you, then."

Sighing, Rachel nudged the other girl's shoulder and turned away, taking most of the blanket with her. "Don't sound so disappointed."

"Hey, no fair," Chloe protested, wrestling her share of the blanket back and tried to get Rachel to face her again. "This is all just really… strange. Maybe it's for the best we don't dig deeper."

Figuring that she had squirmed enough Rachel shifted back to her other side to look at the bluenette, head propped up on her hand. "How can you say that after what we've found?"

Unable to help herself, Chloe scoffed. "What, a bunch of garbled, nonsensical graffiti and a jumbled up dream I can't even remember? That's not evidence, Rach. Like I said before, might just be a stupid prank for Halloween." The more she tried to use that justification, the less she trusted it. What else was she supposed to do? Blindly believe in some supernatural bullcrap? Not likely.

"You don't really believe that," Rachel called her out. Chloe's face gave her away completely.

"I prefer that explanation to…" the bluenette paused, not sure what to make of all this, "...whatever the alternative is."

Again not satisfied with that answer, knowing there was more to it, Rachel pressed her further. "So, you're happy just not knowing. Is that it?"

"Not happy, no," Chloe was quick to correct, answering on instinct. Would she really be happy not knowing? Truthfully… no, but she felt conflicted. "Look, it's… difficult to explain. Can we just… drop this for now, okay? Please."

"I can only drop the subject so many time, Chloe, but… fine." It was best not to push her too hard. Chloe could be as stubborn as Rachel when she wanted. That shared trait had got them into arguments countless times. Besides, she looked genuinely shook up. Shuffling closer to Chloe again, Rachel snuggled up to her once more. "I'm just confused and want some answers, that's all."

Chloe gave her a squeeze, showing that they were good. "I know. Sorry I'm being such a little crybaby bitch about all this."

Smirking, the blonde's hazel eyes flickered with mischief. "It won't argue there."

"You're _supposed_ to say 'Oh, no, Chloe, you're not that at all. You're amazing, smart, funny and totally hot'," Chloe put on her best 'Rachel Amber' voice, higher pitched and nasally with a completely over-exaggerated accent, grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, my god. I do _not_ sound like that," Rachel immediately shot back, narrowing her eyes and pouting. "I was at least going to agree with you on the 'totally hot' part, but now I'm not so sure you deserve the compliment."

Her smirk widening at the disapproving glare, Chloe decided to tease her just a little, enough not to encourage a counter attack. "Too late for that."

Rolling her eyes, Rachel shifted closer to Chloe tucking the blanket around her tighter. She stared up at the ever darkening sky, watching the stars gradually fade into existence and twinkle. The moon shone down, fireflies lazily buzzing around providing small pinpricks of light and providing a soft hum. So peaceful and soothing. All the running around they'd done recently on the mysterious graffiti hunt was starting to take its toll, eyelids feeling heavy. A quick nap wouldn't hurt…

_An empty void… no points of reference to place herself, just… darkness. Muffled, echoing whispers, nothing making sense, overlapping. Some words were louder than others, not by much. That slight volume difference didn't make them any more audible, though. Confusion, conflict, and claustrophobia… something she needed to do, but didn't know how or have the means to do it. Frustration, desperation… fear? There were so many things going on, all so weak, that she couldn't distinguish between the merging emotions. Trapped..._

When Rachel woke, she rubbed her eyes trying to understand the bizarre dream. She had no idea how long she had been out for, maybe half an hour, maybe longer. It was still dark out, a little more so than when she had let her eyes close. Glancing over, she saw Chloe too had dozed off. They should probably make a move soon, not tempt fate and push their luck too much. Still, Rachel left it for a few moments longer. She needed to think. Since she had promised to drop the subject for now, she couldn't tell Chloe. She might just get mad all over again. Although, she might also get mad over not being told something like this, too. Either way, Rachel couldn't really win. For now, she decided to keep it quiet.

What did all of this mean, if anything? Her brain hurt just thinking about all the possibilities. First the graffiti, then Chloe having a weird dream and now her… There was something really strange going on around Arcadia Bay and she would get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

Ready to relocate, Rachel took hold of Chloe's shoulder and shook her awake. Or, tried to at least. "Come on. Up and at 'em."

"Urgh…" Chloe groaned, sleepily swatting her hand away. She never had been very responsive first thing after waking.

"Chloe… don't make me tickle you awake. You know I will, and I know _exactly_ where all your weak spots are." Huddling up in the blanket, Chloe continued to ignore her. "Alright, you asked for it."

Before the bluenette could say or do anything, Rachel had yanked the blanket off and clambered on top of her, starting to tickle her neck. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't get the blonde off her. Rachel really was stubborn sometimes. Realizing there was little point in resisting now, and worried that they might get caught if this continued much longer as the stifled laughter was getting harder to contain, Chloe opened her eyes a fraction, just enough to get Rachel off her case. "Jeez, Rach… you're merciless."

"Damn right I am. What to do with you know, hmm? Ah, I know…" A mischievous grin crossed her features, all the way from her lips to her eyes, she leaned down and planted a kiss on the bluenette's lips.

Chloe didn't complain. Another time, she might have tried to turn the tables and catch Rachel by surprise, but she didn't fancy a full on wrestling match right now. Not the time… or place. The kiss was hungry, as Rachel's kisses often were. She was an all in kinda gal. No half measures, hesitations or regrets.

"That got you awake, then," Rachel added smugly as she pulled back, looking down at the pinned bluenette and leaving her wanting more. Annoyed at the kiss getting cut short before it could really begin Chloe went in for another, only to get pushed back down. Rachel waggled her finger, reprimanding. "Ah, ah… nice try, but until you shift that flat, white butt of yours off this roof and back to my dorm room, that ain't gonna happen."

"Kinda difficult to do when you're sitting on top of me," Chloe pointed out with a slight smirk.

"Never said I would make it easy." Rachel grinned, waiting for a moment or two before letting her up.

"Was starting to think you might not get off for a second there," the bluenette admitted as she got to her feet, brushing herself off.

Gathering up the blankets and her other possessions, Rachel shrugged. "I debated it. Lucky for you, I actually want to get back."

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Chloe asked as she relieved the other girl of some of the blanket mess she was carrying.

Rachel shook her head, smiling. "Eager as always, I see."

Chloe glanced back over her shoulder, shifting the blankets in her arms. "If I stay here any longer, I'll freeze my metaphorical balls off."

"Well, that's a great mental image right there." Rachel grinned as the two of them climbed back down the stairs to the right floor, being much quieter on the way back than they had been on the way to the roof. Most people would be asleep by now, not all, though.

There was a lot for both girls to think over, but that would have to wait until morning.

* * *

**Rachel's Dorm Room - A Few Days Later**

It had been a few days since the last hint from whatever had been previously guiding Rachel and Chloe to cryptic answers, if they could be called that. More like a puzzle with 99% of the pieces missing and no corners to work from. Basically impossible. Whatever the message was supposed to be, it didn't seem like a happy one. That's what made it all the more intriguing, at least for Rachel. Chloe might disagree on that. They hadn't actually discussed it since their rooftop rendezvous, a fact the bluenette was shocked at. No doubt the mischievous blonde was saving it up, lulling her into a false sense of security and then… BAM, hit her with it when she was least expecting it. Or maybe she had gotten bored. Unlikely, but the was always a slight flicker of hope.

Rachel rarely stuck with the same thing for more than ten minutes, getting bored easily and in search of the next exciting moment. She clearly had some issues with commitment, a truth Chloe knew all too well by now. Security, especially when it came to a relationship, equaled being trapped for Rachel. She needed 'room to breathe' or one of the hundred other variants of that same phrase. Chloe couldn't even count the number of arguments that had come down to that. Recently, she'd sort of given up, not wanting to push Rachel away too far. She might not even look back if pressed too hard. Better to suck it up than lose everything. Or so she kept telling herself. It wasn't like Chloe was totally against what they had going now, she just… wanted some reassurance that Rachel wouldn't get bored of her one day, the same she did with everything and everyone else.

Not ready for that particular looping debate now, she sighed and glanced at the girl in question now humming along to some generic, catchy party tune while typing away at her laptop in a bid to get last minute homework out of the way. It was a wonder how Rachel managed to maintain her 4.0 GPA given that most work she did was very last minute. Somehow, she did among all the socializing and mischief. One of those people who worked better under pressure.

Turning in her chair, Rachel looked back at the blue-haired punk. "I can practically feel you burning a hole in the back of my head, Price."

Chloe shrugged, acting clueless. "Dunno what you're talking about."

"I call bullshit on that. No need to be embarrassed about it. I know I'm eye-catching and irresistible." Chloe stuck her tongue out, the childish action only making Rachel's smirk. "Real cute."

Rolling her eyes as over-dramatically as possible, Chloe shot back, "Someone has to keep that ego of yours in check."

That actually made Rachel laugh. "Don't know if you're the right person for that job considering."

"I'm the _only_ person right for that job," Chloe insisted, hoping that her… whatever she and Rachel were, would agree for a change.

Tapping her chin thoughtfully but not really giving the comment any deep consideration, Rachel let it hang unanswered for a few seconds before replying. "Guess we'll have to find out, won't we?"

Brushing off the flicker of annoyance for yet again being given an abstract response, Chloe changed the subject slightly. "Why does literally everything that comes out of your mouth sound flirty?"

"Because it _always_ is," Rachel stated matter-of-factly. Any chance to flirt, she took. If there was an opportunity for something else, she'd probably take it too. So long as it didn't come with a ton of strings attached, of course. "You should know that by now better than anyone."

"Can't really argue there."

Rachel didn't believe that for a second. Chloe Price could argue about anything if she tried… and she _did_ try. "Well, you could. Doesn't mean you'll win."

"Now that just sounds like a challenge to me." Chloe grinned, keen to keep her distracted long enough to give up whatever she was currently working on. She'd tried before, and failed every time. Maybe she should start upping her game, although Rachel was probably trying to goad a certain response out of her. Best not to play right into her hands, more than usual. She always seemed to be three steps ahead somehow.

"Maybe it is…" Before things could get too out of hand, she turned back to her work. "First, I have to finish this, though."

Chloe let out a long, disappointed sigh, overdoing it. "Ah, right, I almost forgot about the whole 'model student' shtick you have going. Hard not to when I see a totally different side."

Focusing on the screen in front of her, Rachel continued typing away as she spoke. "Just be thankful you get to see the fun side like 99% of the time. 'Perfect student' Rachel is about as exciting as watching paint dry. Unfortunately, some people out there seem to like that."

"Oh, believe me, I am," Chloe agreed, noticing that Rachel still hadn't turned around again yet. A little frustrating.

Picking up on the fact that the bluenette was trying to keep the conversation going, Rachel smiled to herself. She was so transparent sometimes. "I'll bet. Anyway, stop distracting me so I can get this done. Then I can switch back to fun mode."

"Hope it's the kind of fun mode I'm thinking of."

Now that the opportunity to tease more had arisen, Rachel turned back and gave her a sly smile. "Wouldn't you like to know… guess you'll just have to wait."

"Fine… if I die of boredom in the meantime, I'm blaming you," Chloe mumbled just loud enough for the other girl to hear. Only just, though.

"Save dying until after. You'll want to stick around." Rolling her shoulders, she got back to work. Truthfully, she had been done around five minutes ago, but it was entertaining to watch Chloe squirm, hear her melodramatic sighs to express her impatient boredom.

After the fifth obvious exhalation, Rachel decided she had exhausted this form of teasing. Too much of a good thing… Casually, she shut down her laptop, taking her sweet time. Stretching her arms above her head, cleaning up her desk and doing literally everything to prolong getting up from her desk. She could almost feel the frustration emanating from behind her, restless and impatient. Surprisingly, Chloe had yet to say a word about the leisurely behavior, learning from experience that only slowed the process down beyond a manageable level. Rachel's idea of teasing could get borderline torturous.

Rachel approached her, running a finger along the punk's cheek. With Chloe sat down, she was in the higher position for a change. "You're awfully well behaved today. No fun…" She retracted her finger, staring into blue eyes waiting for a react, for her to take the bait. It was only a matter of time before Chloe broke the stalemate, trying to reach out and grab her. Sidestepping the attempt, Rachel grinned. "Were you even trying there?"

That was enough to encourage Chloe's competitive streak. "I'll show you trying."

This little back and forth game never seemed to get old, even though it always ended the same way. With Chloe losing, well… losing was probably the wrong word for it. Her pride might get a little scuffed along the way, but that was _more_ than made up for with the consolation prize.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a great day and see you next time.


	5. Inexplicable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. Hope you're up for more mystery. We have some other characters making an appearance this chapter.

**Chapter Four: Inexplicable**

**Blackwell - Kate's Dorm**

Every time Kate walked anywhere near the Prescott Dorm building, she couldn't help but shiver. It was strange, inexplicable. There was no reason she could think of and yet, it nearly always happened. Since she lived there, it happened _a lot_. The feeling of unease only intensified when she got closer to the rooftop, that much she had worked out. Thankfully, it didn't last longer than a few moments, otherwise it would be impossible to stay in her room. Still, it was just plain weird.

Lately, the unease had increased and she didn't know why. Maybe it was one of those things she'd never figure out. With a sigh, she entered her room. It felt much safer in here, almost like there was some kind of protective bubble surrounding her. A sanctuary. Alice's ears pricked up when she heard the door close, beady eyes expectant.

"I swear, you only love me because I feed you," Kate chuckled to herself as she approached the cage, sticking her fingers between the bars.

The rabbit came over to inspect her finger, losing interest when she realized it wasn't food. Doing a quick floor sweep, Kate took Alice out of her cage, grabbed a carrot placed the rabbit in her lap.

"Lucky for you, I don't mind," she whispered as she watched Alice nibble away happily.

All of a sudden, Alice stopped eating beady eyes darting around the room and settling on one spot. Confused, Kate followed her eye line over to the bed. There really was nothing there and yet, Alice seemed to be having a staring match with… something, or maybe someone? They did say animals could sense things humans couldn't.

"What or who's there, huh? My room haunted?" she asked, half-joking and half-concerned.

This wasn't the first time it had happened, far from it. Kate too had felt… something, a presence. It was never uncomfortable, the total opposite in fact. Familiar, protective. It wasn't always there, and even when it was she could barely sense it. Some days were stronger than others. Her room wasn't the only place she had experienced the feeling, photography class was a big one. Actually, that might be where it was strongest and most consistent.

She didn't know what it meant or why it was happening. Sometimes, it made her feel extremely sad and she found herself crying for no apparent reason. Other days, she couldn't stop smiling at something she only had a fleeting, vague memory of. At first, she had tried to understand. It soon became clear that this was something far beyond her comprehension. Regardless, she was certain whatever or whoever it was didn't mean her harm. The total opposite. She had no idea what made her so certain of that fact, and maybe it didn't really matter.

"Well, whatever or whoever is out there, I don't think you're a spooky ghost trying to haunt me. I hope not, at least," Kate announced to the empty room.

Alice's nose twitched, back to normal again as she resumed her carrot munching. Sometimes, the presence seemed to radiate melancholic, bittersweet relief. Kate had the feeling it was trying to get through, convey a message perhaps beyond simple protection. What that message was, she could never make out but it made her feel wanted and loved. Maybe that was all that mattered, not the exact words but the meaning behind them. Of course, she'd like to know the actual message, too. It might help her work out just how this presence was connected to her and why.

A rustling sound caught her attention, a piece of paper blowing across the room. That confused her, the window wasn't open as far as she could remember. She left Alice to her own devices, checking that the window was indeed shut, which it was, before bending down to take the sheet of paper. Staring down at it, she tried to place it. She could remember almost every drawing she had ever done, this wasn't one of hers. For starters, the style was very different, less cartoony. Another telltale sign, she rarely drew herself. The picture showed her smiling, looking as happy as could be without a single care in the world. Random splotches of watercolor filled in the lines in places, other doodles dotted around in the background. All motifs related to her as far as she could tell. A violin, tea cup, crosses, what appeared to be various song lyrics, a rabbit she could recognize as Alice… alongside three words. **Keep the faith.**

An involuntary smile tugged at her lips, simultaneously tears welled up in her eyes. Not questioning further, she pinned the drawing up by her bed. It felt like it belonged there.

* * *

**Price House**

Joyce smiled to herself as she heard the door open, the hinges creaking. She knew who it was without even having to look. "So, the prodigal daughter returns. I was starting to forget you even lived here."

When in range, Chloe rolled her eyes for her mother to see. "Ha, funny… not."

"She has a point," Rachel added with a smug smirk. "You may as well change your official address to my dorm room."

"I'm sure she would if she could," Joyce mentioned with a sigh, knowing full well that her daughter would do it in a heartbeat. She was practically living at Blackwell's dorm by now.

"Even at Blackwell I'm still less likely to bump into step-douche than at home," Chloe mumbled just loud enough for her mother to hear.

Frowning at the nickname, Joyce placed a hand on her hip. "Please Chloe, we've talked about this. David has a name."

"You've lectured me, you mean," Chloe shot back, gearing up for a fight.

Sensing her eagerness, Joyce didn't take the bait. "Look, I'm not in the mood for a fight today, okay? Let's just drop this for now."

Chloe was about to really kick off, but one sideways glance from Rachel brought her to her senses. It was pointless arguing. Instead, she shrugged and shoved her hands in her pockets, scuffing her boot along the floor. "Fine by me."

Keen to change the subject, Joyce decided to appeal to Chloe's appetite to distract her. "I imagine you two are hungry. Well, I know Chloe will be, no doubt. I'm sure I can rustle something up."

"That'd be perfect, thanks, Joyce. Need any help?" Rachel asked, trying to help the conversation turn away from a heated debate over David. She hated him as much as Chloe but wanted to avoid confrontation.

Joyce waved away her offer. "No, no, I'm fine. Maybe you can deal with the aftermath, but I've got the cooking side down. David won't be back until late today, he's got a night guard shift."

"I know, that's why we decided to drop by today," Chloe revealed. The reason was predictable enough.

"Not a bad move all things considered," Joyce conceded, not wanting World War III to kick off in her home. "Obviously, feel free to stay as long as you want."

"Got it, mom," Chloe called back boredly, already halfway up the stairs. "You coming, Rach?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, offering the older woman a knowing smile. "Guess I'd better go before she throws a fit."

"I reckon so, none of us want that." Joyce shook her head, getting to work on some dinner as Rachel disappeared after her impatient daughter.

With Chloe around, she'd have to make sure she made enough to feed an army. Where that girl put it all, she had no clue. Humming as she gathered together the ingredients to make a bolognese sauce, Joyce reminisced about the times Chloe used to be all too keen to help out making food. As a kid, she had enjoyed making a mess in the kitchen, not so much cleaning it up. William had been just as bad, especially when making pancakes. Flour and batter everywhere. The pang of loss tugged at her heart, much more pronounced than usual. It was strange, hit her doubly hard. Sure, she missed William even now and some days were tougher than others, but she hadn't felt it this strongly in years. Almost like she was mourning the loss of two people, not one.

Exhaling deeply, she got to work chopping onions and crushing garlic, as well as preparing the other ingredients. She couldn't quite shake the overwhelming feeling, no matter how hard she tried. Today was just one of those days, she guessed. The sound of some kind of rock music filtered down from Chloe's room, loud as usual. It was any wonder her daughter could hear at all after being exposed to such high volumes. She always seemed to turn it up louder when she knew David was around, just to piss him off… not that he needed much encouragement. The pair of them were as bad as each other some days.

Joyce was often stuck in a no man's land, forced to choose a side or risk making both of them mad. Oh, how she'd tried to be diplomatic. It never worked. They were both too stubborn, uncompromising. She just wanted them both to get along, or at least tolerate each other. That hope had died pretty soon after David became a permanent fixture in their lives. If only she could go back to when times were simpler, when Chloe was happy. William's death had been the point of her decline into bitter resentment, something she had yet to pull herself back from.

At least having Rachel around seemed to help her. Those two were inseparable. David saw her as a bad influence on Chloe, admittedly she did encourage her daughter more than she would like, but she was mostly harmless. In some ways, Rachel reminded her of someone but for the life of her, she couldn't recall who. It was infinitely frustrating, especially since Joyce felt like she really _should_ know. Like it was someone important, family almost. Rachel's likeness to this mystery person had only intensified recently, today had been particularly strong. In fact, a name had so very nearly come to her on first glance, right on the tip of her tongue. The more she tried to remember, the more the answer evaded her.

With the sauce nearly done, she put the pasta on wondering how long it would take Chloe to realize dinner was nearly done. By her reckoning, not long now.

* * *

**Chloe's Room**

Leaving Joyce to it, the pair headed up to Chloe's room which was as disorganized and chaotic as ever. The bluenette turned on the hi-fi, blaring out her usual brand of unapologetic rock, before sitting over on the bed. Rachel joined her, gathering her thoughts. Just as she was wondering when her internal guide would return, she felt the now familiar faded presence in her mind.

"Seems like my spidey-senses are back online," she announced, trying not to sound too smug.

As expected, Chloe wasn't overly pleased about this sudden reappearance. "Great… where's the next location in this weird treasure hunt?"

Rachel allowed herself a smile, leaving her hanging for a few moments before putting her out of her misery. "You know, I think we're in it."

"My room?" Chloe asked, equal parts surprised and worried. "Okay, this is getting freaky and personal now."

Clearly, there was something happening here, something related to her and Chloe somehow. There was no denying it now. "See, I told you there was something bigger going on here."

Getting desperate now, Chloe turned to her. "Seriously, if this is some big prank on your part, I'm freaked out enough. You win."

"I might be good, but I'm not _that_ good. It's really not me fucking with you, swear. Come on, let's get searching," Rachel encouraged, standing up to look for the next clue.

Between them, it didn't take long. In fact, Chloe found it almost straight away feeling something draw her to the location. This time, there were just three words written amongst the graffiti and chaotic poster montage covering the wall behind the bed, **I dare you.**

"I _definitely_ did not write that in," Chloe announced, staring at the writing. It was the same loopy handwriting as before, except this time it was much stronger and clearer almost branded into the plaster.

"Dare us to what?" Rachel wondered aloud, tracing the light grooves in the wall. It felt warm to the touch, making her fingertips tingle and a wave of wistfulness pass over her.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Chloe snapped, several inexplicable emotions overwhelmed her. Uncertainty, shaky yet growing confidence, a moment of victory soon eclipsed by confusion. She could swear she felt a light pressure on her right cheek and left shoulder, the ghost of something brushing against her lips, warm and fleeting. Maybe she was imagining it, she _hoped_.

Noting her distress, Rachel took hold of her wrist to get her attention. "It was a rhetorical question, Chloe."

"Yeah, sorry. This is just…" it was hard to describe how she felt right now, so conflicted, "really freaking me out now."

Rachel documented the new graffiti in her notebook. "All the more reason to get to the bottom of it."

Noting a slight flicker of detached desperation in Rachel's eyes, almost like it wasn't her own, Chloe decided to press her. "You're really intent on working this all out, aren't you? Why?"

"Mysteries are fun, as I've mentioned before," she repeated matter-of-factly.

Not convinced, Chloe crossed her arms and persisted. "I dunno, it seems stronger than that."

The blonde idly played with her blue feather earring, trying to think of a way to explain. "Maybe. Something, or someone, seems to be pushing me towards an answer, like _really_ determined. Might just be my curiosity, or something else."

"It's that something else that's worrying me," the bluenette mumbled.

"If it's any consolation, whatever it is doesn't mean us harm… I think, just acting as guidance." That was the feeling Rachel got anyway, pointing them to answers not danger.

"Oh, well that makes me feel ten times better," Chloe replied sarcastically.

Understanding the skepticism, Rachel tried a different tact. "Look, I can't explain it. Just like you can't explain whatever's going on with you. I'm convinced all this is linked. It has to be. It'd be _way_ too big a coincidence otherwise."

Feeling like they were going in circles, Chloe voiced her concerns. "I just don't feel like we're getting anywhere. Yeah, this graffiti shit is weird, but it's a bunch of nonsense."

Rachel mentally reviewed everything she had discovered so far, finding it hard _not_ to join the dots. "I'm not so sure about that. Sure, it's cryptic but there's an answer here somewhere. We just need to find all the pieces of the puzzle."

Once again realizing she wasn't going to get through any time soon, Chloe gave up. "You make it sound unrealistically easy."

"It can be if we work together, Chloe. Neither of us is stupid, even if you try hard to pretend." That earned Rachel an over-exaggerated eye roll. "All we have to do is give it time."

"How much time, though?" the bluenette asked, surprised that Rachel hadn't given up already. She usually did.

"As much as it needs," Rachel replied simply. She just couldn't leave it alone. Not yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a great day and see you next time.


	6. Morning Blues

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. Get ready for more brain teasers :p

**Chapter Five: Morning Blues**

**The Next Morning - Two Whales Diner**

When Chloe and Rachel woke the next morning, they headed to the Two Whales in search of breakfast as they often did. There wasn't really anywhere else to go and Joyce's food was second to none. This early, there were very few customers. The usual clientele consisted of truckers taking breaks from night long drives, on duty police officers waiting for the call, sometimes Blackwell students and other Arcadia residents.

Joyce smiled knowingly when Chloe and Rachel entered the diner, stepping out from behind the counter to approach them. "Well, look who it is. Lemme guess, you came here for free food, right?"

Chloe offered her a sly grin. "Why else would I come?"

"To see your poor mother working her ass off," Joyce suggested as she put her hand on her hip. "Lucky for you, I'm feeling charitable today."

"Morning Joyce," Rachel greeted the older woman with a smile, "how are you doing?"

"Could be better, could be worse. Same old, same old. As you can see, business is booming," Joyce mentioned sarcastically as she spread her arm towards the nearly empty diner. "You might have to wrestle someone for a seat."

"What do you expect? This place is a dump," Chloe stated without any tact. To her credit, she wasn't wrong. The Two Whales had seen better days, not great still but better.

"A dump that keeps you fed," Joyce reminded her daughter, returning to her work. She already knew their orders off by heart.

Taking the second booth on their right Chloe and Rachel sat down, the blonde with her back facing the door. They waited, the bluenette grumbling about how long this was taking. Joyce came to the table with a pot of black coffee while they were waiting on food. Rachel poured herself a cup, Chloe following soon after. Having a sweet tooth, Chloe tore open several sugar packets and poured them into the drink giving it a stir. She also added some milk, too. Rachel, on the other hand, left hers as it was.

Chloe frowned as she watched her friend sip the black coffee. "How do you even drink it like that?"

"I could ask you the same question," Rachel replied, watching the blue-haired punk stir her own drink.

"Dude, mine is more than drinkable." Chloe took a long sip to demonstrate her point, satisfied with the balance. "I can guarantee it tastes better than the black sludge you have there."

Rachel shook her head, warming her hands on the cup. "That concoction is practically diabetes in a mug, but it seems we'll have to agree to disagree." It was then that Rachel noticed Chloe idly running her fingers over something scratched into the table, finding it strange. "Hey, what you got there?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Chloe returned the question, genuinely oblivious to what she was asking.

Rolling her eyes, Rachel shooed her hand away to get a better look at the carved section. **What's in my pockets? Can you guess?**

"Oh shit, not more of this." Without another word, Rachel began digging around in her pockets, taking it literally. At this point, who knew? Giving her a strange look, Chloe watched her empty her pockets. "What are you doing?"

"Checking," she stated matter-of-factly, not finding anything of note, "you should too."

Chloe shook her head, seriously wondering if Rachel was officially going crazy. "What, you think something will have magically appeared out of thin air since the last time you checked?"

"Less complaining and more searching," Rachel insisted.

Reluctantly, Chloe complied with the demand. She fumbled around in her pockets, turning them inside out. Hell, she couldn't even remember what was in there. "All I got are my keys, some cigarettes, a parking ticket and eighty-six cents, nothing special or-"

Noting the sudden halt, Rachel stared at the bluenette. "Found something?"

Chloe frowned as she stared at the small pile of items. On the surface, there was nothing special or strange about them, as everyday as could be. The longer she focused on them, the more she felt like they were important. There was something lingering at the back of her mind trying to push through. She felt an eerie sense of déjà vu, sitting here with the contents of her pockets spread across the table. Why did this feel so familiar?

Sighing, she glanced back up from the table. "I… I don't even know what's going on anymore, Rach. This is too weird. I feel like there are things I _should_ be remembering, but there's nothing there. Maybe I'm just imagining it all, freaked out by the weird graffiti shit."

Joyce came over then, interrupting the conversation to bring them some food. The pair thanked her, keeping quiet on their previous conversation until they were alone again. Rachel took a bite from the waffles Joyce had brought over, chewing thoughtfully. "Somehow, I don't think so."

"Not more of the spiritual voodoo bullshit, please," Chloe sighed as she got started on her bacon and eggs. Nothing dampened her appetite.

Taking a sip of her coffee, Rachel's eyes flickered back to the carved message. She was desperate to find out how it all linked together. "As much as you don't want to admit it, there _is_ something going on here, something clearly related to you. Me too, probably other people."

"Okay, say I believe that, what could possibly have happened? Any theories on that, huh?" Chloe asked, sounding increasingly frustrated by the insistence there was something bigger going on here.

"That's what we're trying to find out now, if you've forgotten," Rachel reminded, taking another bite before continuing. "Look, I don't know what's going on anymore than you do. All I know is that something really isn't right."

Chloe gave her a strange look, like she'd said something incredibly obvious. "This is Arcadia Bay, nothing's ever right."

"And maybe there's a reason for that," Rachel insisted. "I know that deep down, you want to find out just as much as me, if not more. So, suck it up."

Chloe didn't say anything, frowning. There wasn't much she _could_ say. Rachel was right, even if she wouldn't admit it. Whatever was going on, they were too deep to stop searching now. Still, the bluenette was skeptical. This was all just so… strange.

After they had finished up at the Two Whales, they went back to Blackwell. Chloe said she had a headache and returned to Rachel's dorm room. As for the blonde, she decided to wander around for a while. That seemed like the right thing to be doing now. Out of the corner of her eye, Rachel spotted the school's janitor/handyman, Samuel, pottering around like he always did. She watched him finish up whatever he was doing and sit on one of the benches, feeding the birds and squirrels that had gathered around him.

"Hi, Samuel," she greeted as she approached him, some of the animals scarpering. Others remained, pecking and nibbling at the ground.

It took few seconds for Samuel to even notice she was there. "Ah, Rachel…"

While he was always distant, in another time and place, he seemed worse than usual today. "You seem a little distracted."

"Distracted…" he softly muttered to himself, "yes, that might be the word for it. Same goes for you."

"You can tell?" People didn't give Samuel enough credit. He was very perceptive.

He gave her a slow nod, watching the squirrels dart around nearby. "Samuel spends a lot of time on the outside, peering in. Observing. Different perspective."

"And what do you see, then?" Rachel asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Lots of things. Hear them, too. Things other people don't take the…" he hesitated, putting unnatural emphasis on the next word, almost like he was giving a subtle hint, " _time_ to pay attention. But, Samuel thinks maybe you do."

Picking up on the peculiar intonation, Rachel made a mental note to consider it later. "You might be onto something there."

"There's plenty to find, hidden away in plain sight. They see it but they don't." This muttered comment was highly paradoxical, although Rachel could relate given recent events.

"You're nearly as vague and cryptic as me, you know that." Usually, Rachel could get a read on people with ease. For someone like Samuel, who defied convention, it was much trickier to work him out. Didn't stop her from trying, though.

"Not the only thing we have in common. You see it too with help. Detached, yet connected. Similar, yet different." Samuel stared at her, eyes so intense as if he was trying to look into her soul. He almost appeared to be searching for something himself, verification.

Rachel did find the sudden attention a little unnerving. "Now, that makes even less sense."

"Follow the path until its end. Answers might be waiting." With that, Samuel shuffled away to get on with his work as if nothing had happened.

It was no secret that Samuel was… unique, the nicest way of putting it. Many found him creepy and avoided him, others poked fun at him. Unlike most, Rachel had taken the time to get to know him better. They'd had some pretty in depth conversations about the more spiritual side of things. Samuel saw things differently, noticed details other missed. It was nearly impossible to get a straight answer out of him, but there was almost always some kind of hint that he knew more than he was letting on. That was what Rachel found the most intriguing about him.

If she had understood him, a debatable point, he seemed to know something about what she had been looking into. Question was, could she get it out of him?

* * *

**Meanwhile, Rachel's Room**

Chloe flopped down on the bed, sighing. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get all the weird happenings out of her mind: ominous graffiti, muddled up dreams, serious déjà vu, Rachel's weird internal GPS for finding these signs…

"Ugh, why me?" she groaned, covering her eyes with her hand. "Can't I have a normal day for once in my life?"

Her life had been a rollercoaster ride of ups and downs, more downs. This… she wasn't quite sure what _this_ was. A good thing? Something bad? Or was it in between, in the gray? However much she tried to wrap her head around it, she drew a blank. Maybe she should just stop thinking about it.

She shuffled over to the edge of the bed, checking the bottom drawer of Rachel's dresser for her weed stash. Since she practically lived in this room these days, she did keep her own emergency supply. Often, they shared anyway. Opening the window, she lit the joint and inhaled deeply. Standing by the open window, she exhaled the smoke cloud.

As she glanced out, she noticed Rachel talking to Blackwell's handyman/janitor, Samuel. He was a strange one, for sure. Chloe hadn't talked to him much personally. Still, he didn't seem like a bad guy, a little intense sure, but not bad. With people like Nathan Prescott prowling around, Samuel didn't even come close to comparing.

As hard as she tried, Chloe couldn't make out what they were saying, probably something very spiritual and weird. Both Rachel and Samuel were suckers for those two topics, it seemed. After some time, Samuel scuttled away back to… whatever it was he actually did around here. Chloe rarely saw him do anything other than feed squirrels and occasionally paint stuff.

"Hey! Are you smoking without me?" Rachel called up, narrowing her eyes when she noticed her blue-haired punk friend hanging out of the window.

Chloe grinned, hiding the joint. "Maybe I am, maybe I'm not. You'll have to come up and check."

"Don't even bother trying to hide the evidence. I'll know," Rachel threatened playfully, making her way into the dorm building.

* * *

Shattered fragments of a being swirling in the void, trying to reassemble. Distorted muffled whispers and memories - things that had been, would be and may never happen - all shifted, a constant changing state. So many possibilities.

At the center of it all, a ghostly specter, a presence dimly glowing, acting as a gravitation point to the swirling mass of broken pieces. For the moment, it was little more than an indistinguishable orb of raw energy, rough around the edges. Recently, it had grown in size and luminosity, drawing a few smaller shards towards it. It quietly hummed in the silence, several thin tendrils of light connecting it to the human world, to certain people.

One of these tendrils was thicker and glowed a faint orange, brighter than the others - an anchor. The presence was able to provide a direct, yet subtle influence through this particular strand. It could offer guidance, encourage certain already existing thoughts and feelings. Not much, but enough. Without that particular connection, the presence would gradually fade out of existence. For that reason, most of its energy was being directed into that one link.

In its drastically weakened state, the presence could do very little. It would take time to recharge, and even then it may never return to its original state. That was why it relied on the person on the other end of the main tendril, to do the things it couldn't in the physical world. In turn, the presence would offer protection and guidance - a way to secure both itself and its worldly counterpart. They needed each other to remain in existence, the vital connection working both ways.

The presence had little in the way of a plan, other than trying to keep itself ticking, to grow in power to the point where it could actually do something substantial. It had _plenty_ of motivation to escape this state of limbo, neither dead nor alive.

All it could do now was wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens… have an awesome day and see you next time.


	7. Midnight Swim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, welcome back. We'll be covering a few other people this time, so hope you enjoy :)

**Chapter Six: Midnight Swim**

The Queen Bee of Blackwell seemed to have calmed down just a little. Sure, she still showed her authority in as many ways as possible, but unlike before she appeared to have a flicker of a conscience. Her favored method, a drawn-out torture process targeting all possible avenues for teasing and mockery, had faded into the background.

When it came to people like Kate Marsh, an easy target, she hesitated, biting back the crueler responses. Like she was being censored. It wasn't intentional and yet, it happened. After a while, she'd really started questioning her wording and insults, a gnawing sense of guilt present. Where it came from, she didn't know. All she knew was that it felt… terrible whenever it played up. Negative thoughts seemed to encourage it, when she wanted to make some snide remark.

At first, it had annoyed her. Then… she started seeing a few changes in the way people interacted with her. Instead of blind fear, pretend respect or hostility, their behaviors and responses turned more neutral, even friendly on occasion. People she used to consider minions first and friends second - such as Taylor and Courtney - shifted in definition. Her life started getting… simpler, more relaxed. The vindictive planning and manipulation had occupied so much of her time and energy that at first, it felt empty.

Little by little, the carefully crafted masks crumbled to dust, each layer that peeled away exposing more of the real Victoria Chase. She had been scared at first, worried she would lose respect and power, but in reality she may have gained even more. Of course, she could still put her foot down and kick up a fuss but now she realized she didn't have to do that, or was getting there at least. She had a long way to go before she would be comfortable enough with herself to completely let go of her armor. This was a decent start, though.

Actually, she had managed a decent conversation with Kate once or twice, seeing her as a person with thoughts and feelings, not just an obstacle to obliterate to reach her goal. The latter was how she had been brought up to think, her parents always telling her how cut-throat the world was. It would take a while to change that mindset, maybe years. Somehow, she knew she would manage eventually.

* * *

Ever since Warren had come to Blackwell, he seemed to have developed a sixth sense for trouble, especially where Nathan was involved. It was almost like having his own personal superpower, a spidey sense, both useful and awesome. As much as he wanted to tell people, he knew that A) nobody would believe him and B) he shouldn't advertise something like that; it would only bring trouble.

Where it had come from, he had no idea. Was it nerdy evolution, years of practice evading bullies finally paying off? Most likely. Real people didn't get powers like that. This was as close as he'd get, and that was more than okay for him. He'd tried to use it for good, to benefit others in subtle ways. For example, talking to people like Daniel on the way to and from class, steering him out of the way of Logan, who seemed to have it in for the poor guy. Small things the made a huge difference to the person he was helping. It felt good to make lives a little easier, even if nobody would ever know.

Like a real everyday hero.

* * *

In the past week or so, David had been experiencing a growing sense of unease surrounding Blackwell's photography teacher, Mark Jefferson. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but he always trusted his gut feeling. Honestly, from the beginning he had found Jefferson… odd. Maybe he just had one of those faces. Pretentious, narcissistic types like him always had some deep, dark secret. He'd be keeping a close eye on the man from now on.

Another strange thing had happened. It was no secret that him and his step-daughter, Chloe Price, fought like cats and dogs. Over the years, they had some truly explosive verbal, sometimes physical, fights, both too stubborn and proud to back down. Recently, her snarky remarks and sarcasm hadn't irritated him as much as usual. He wasn't complaining, he didn't really want to get into a shouting match every few hours, but the shift had seemed… very sudden, almost forced. Maybe it was subconscious; he was tired and wanted some peace, both for himself and Joyce. He'd done more than enough fighting in his life during his service.

Maybe instead of shouting, he could try to understand. Yes, Chloe goaded him but he was supposed to be the adult, deal with it calmly not blow up in her face. It was easy to forget just how much she had been through in such a short space of time and while it wasn't an excuse, it should be taken into account. In many respects, him and Chloe weren't so different in the way they dealt with their problems. If he wanted her to change, he would have to change first.

* * *

**Blackwell's Swimming Pool - Midnight**

Once night had fallen, Rachel apparently felt an overwhelming desire to hit the pool and Chloe couldn't quite figure out whether this was for fun or 'serious' work, aka the spooky treasure hunt.

"Wait, so are we coming here because your weird mental satnav is guiding us here… or did you just want an excuse for a midnight swim?" the bluenette asked, curious to know which. The latter was much better in her opinion, that she could understand.

Rachel gave her a coy smile as they entered the building, spinning around once she reached the locker rooms. "Can't it be both? While we're here on business, might as well enjoy ourselves."

"I'm okay with the fun part, the other…"

"Ugh, will you please quit your bitching and tell me which locker room you want to snoop in. Boys," she motioned to her right-hand side, "or… girls." A smirk tugged at her lips, suggestive as she held her arm out to the left.

Unable to ignore the obvious emphasis, Chloe crossed her arms. "Is this a trick question?"

The blonde shrugged. "It might be… guess you'll found out in a minute."

Chloe looked between the two doors, making a decision easy enough. "Girls, duh."

"Right choice." Rachel span around to face the door to the girls' changing room, unlocking it and stepping inside. "Let the snooping commence."

Shaking her head, Chloe followed her inside and began searching the lockers. Most were boring, a solitary sock, scraps of paper or abandoned swimwear. Nothing that tied into the 'clues' they already had, if you could call them that.

"Oh shit, check it out." Rachel suddenly called out, holding up a few photos which, on closer inspection, turned out to be a stash of Victoria's secret selfies.

Striding across the room, Chloe snatched the photos and shuffled through them. "Damn, guess even the Queen Bitch of Blackwell can't resist the commoner's selfie. Bet she didn't want anyone finding these."

Without warning, Rachel plucked the middle most photo and shoved it in her pocket. "For my personal collection."

Chloe gave her a strange look. "Okay, I'm not even going to ask what you're gonna use that for…"

Grinning, Rachel tilted her head to the side as if she were deep in thought. "I haven't decided yet. Should be fun either way."

They continued searching, uncovering even more junk. Once they had cleared every open locker, they moved up to the pool. Just as Chloe was about to strip down, Rachel grabbed hold of her wrist to stop her.

"Business first, then we can splish splash."

"Fine…" Chloe grumbled a few incoherent words, no doubt insults or curses. Disheartened, she trudged around the edge to search for more pieces to the puzzle.

While she was doing that, Rachel decided to look around the office. After switching on the lights so Chloe could see what she was doing, she began looking through the drawers, finding nothing of interest. Next, she moved onto the shelf above the desk full of binders containing supposedly important information. While examining one of the red ones, she came across a scrunched up page scrap. The handwriting seemed familiar, messier than she had seen before. Scrunching her eyes, she began to read.

' _While we didn't find The Proof, we found Nathan's file had a weird drawing in it that just said, "Rachel in the dark room" over and over. So that's a major clue that Nathan is involved in this somehow. Or he's just insane...'_

The rest of the handwriting on the paper scrap was indecipherable. For obvious reasons, five words of that small excerpt stood out 'Rachel in the dark room'. Did it mean her? Or another person with the same name? Somehow, she knew the first was more likely. What did it even mean?

"Okay, there is literally nothing out there, so I hope-" Chloe stopped talking when she saw the paper scrap in Rachel's hand. "Found something?"

Silently, Rachel passed the paper over and watched the bluenette read, eyes widening as she did. "What the fuck?"

"My sentiment exactly. I… think it means me." Rachel pondered that possibility, wondering how it tied into the things they had already found. "In fact, I'd bet money on it… if I had any."

"Dark room? What does that even mean?" Chloe muttered to herself, sounding worried.

"Could just be a literal dark room… or maybe like a photo dark room, where you develop pictures… other than that, who knows." Pocketing the note, she went back into the main section of the pool and turned back to Chloe. "So, are we actually gonna swim or are you just planning on watching me?"

Shaking herself back to reality, Chloe also left the office and the pair stripped down to their underwear, diving in head first. When she resurfaced, Rachel slicked her damp hair back to keep it out of her eyes. When the bluenette came back up for air a few seconds later, the blonde was already preparing her attack. She sent a tidal wave in Chloe's direction, almost making her swallow half the pool.

When Chloe had spat out the water, she huffed. "No fair, cheater."

"Well, you'd know about that," Rachel chuckled, earning her a glare in return. "Besides, all's fair in love and war."

Chloe's anger faded in the wake of a sly grin. "And which of those is this?"

Floating back to the edge, back pressed against the side, a coaxing grin tugging at the corner of her lips. "Guess you'll have to find out for yourself…"

More than willing to find out, Chloe began swimming over. Rachel splashed at her playfully again, the bluenette dodging out of the way this time. "You always play so hard to get."

"Can't make it  _too_  easy on you. Where's the fun in that?" the blonde asked, pushing more water her way.

After some to- and fro-ing, Chloe finally managed to get close enough to pen her in. "Ha, I win."

"Only because I let you." Wanting to play around a little, tease, she channeled her inner melodramatic actress. "Oh, whatever will happen to me now? A poor young innocent maiden trapped by a thuggish brute."

Chloe scoffed at the over-acting. "First off, you are far from innocent. And even 'brutish thugs' like me have feelings. Sure, we might be a little rough sometimes, but deep down we are sensitive souls. See, I can do this bullshit roleplaying too."

Leaning in closer so her mouth was by Chloe's ear, she whispered. "I prefer the rough rather than sensitive side."

"Yeah, don't I kn-" Before Chloe could finish her sentence, Rachel pulled her in for an impatient kiss.

That shut the bluenette right up, Chloe pressing into Rachel as they kissed. Any moment now one of Blackwell's security guards could catch them at it, maybe even David, which made it all the more risky and therefore exciting. Out of nowhere, Rachel felt something… strange, an emotion that almost felt detached from her own. One she didn't feel often… something other than the usual desire and lust, something… more emotional than she was used to, directed at Chloe. It made her pull back, frowning.

"Hey, you okay?" Chloe asked, confused by the sudden withdrawal.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Pushing it aside, she pulled the bluenette back in, soon getting back into her normal rhythm.

Whatever had come over her, it had gone as soon as it came, lasting only a second or two. Still, it was strange. She slid her tongue into Chloe's mouth, deepening the kiss. There was something there, hanging in the background like static, echoed whispers. Some parts were louder than others, sections getting lost, much too quiet.

_"...changing everything… stumbling back and forth in time… didn't stumble when you saved me… obviously connected… You make me feel like I know what I'm doing… Don't look so sad. I'm never leaving you…"_

It sounded like parts of a conversation, between two people perhaps… it was almost impossible to tell.

That was when she noticed Chloe staring at her, looking very confused by her behavior. "Okay, you're acting  _really_ weird now, Rach. What's going on in that mind of yours?"

That was a good question. "I'm not sure. Some kind of discussion? I can't tell what it's about or who's involved, but… it seems important."

Chloe shook her head and sighed. "Great, we're at the 'hearing voices' stage. Just when I thought we were all crazied out."

"Not quite, it seems. At least we're getting bigger hints now. Progress is progress." She glanced over at the bluenette, who still looked a little pissed off about all this. Shaking her head, Rachel gave her another brief kiss, more tender this time. "I know this sucks, but we have to see it through now."

The blue-haired punk almost seemed surprised by how gentle and reassuring she was being right now. "Who are you and what have you done with the real Rachel Amber?"

"Well, that's the last time I try and play nice." There wasn't much point in staying much longer. "Come on, let's bust a move before we get busted," Rachel suggested, pulling herself out of the water and getting changed.

Once ready, the pair disappeared back out into the campus grounds, expertly dodging Blackwell's pathetic excuse for a patrol and back to the safety of Rachel's room. Deciding to call it a night, they got snuggled up with Chloe falling asleep almost immediately. Rachel, however, had too many things on her mind.

So much weird shit had happened today, given nearly everything had been weird recently. She felt like they were slowly getting closer to an answer, not as soon as she had hoped. She supposed that these things took time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... things are moving along nicely now. Have a great day and see you next time.


	8. Mood Swings

**Chapter Seven: Mood Swings**

**A Week Later**

Since the midnight swim, Rachel hadn't felt a single thing from her internal compass on where to investigate next. It was odd. She could still feel it there in the back of her mind, like it was waiting for... something. But what? Not doing anything made her stir-crazy, especially when it felt like she  _should_ be doing something.

She'd spent most of the last week hanging out with Chloe, watching films and stuff. A little different from normal - usually, they went out causing trouble and drinking or smoking, but they both needed to chill out after all the recent crazy discoveries. Aside from going to class, which Rachel had been skipping less of recently, she hadn't really left her room in the past few days.

Right now, they were watching Blade Runner in the blonde's room, one of the bluenette's favorite films apparently. Weirdly, Rachel couldn't remember her ever mentioning that small tidbit before. Given how long they'd known each other for, it should've come up before now. It just went to show how you could know a person so well and still learn things about them years in.

Too tired to bother with food, they'd ordered pizza to accompany yet another movie night. Thanks to Chloe's monster appetite, they ended up getting a veritable feast. Snuggled up in a blanket with the lights out, the pair munched their way through the mountain of food. They'd probably be eating this tomorrow too, unless Chloe plowed her way through it overnight. A distinct possibility. It was any wonder how she stayed so thin.

Letting out a loud unapologetic belch, Chloe patted her stomach. "Oh man, I am stuffed."

"For like three seconds," Rachel playfully teased.

"Like you can talk," the blue-haired punk retorted smugly. "I think you've been eating almost as much junk food as me recently."

That suggestion made the blonde laugh. "Oh, I highly doubt that. Not even an army could eat as much as you."

"Tell that to your stomach. I think you've put on a few pounds," Chloe observed, starting to poke and prod her.

Batting away her hands, Rachel frowned. "Shut the fuck up I haven't."

Unconvinced, the bluenette gave her a once over. "Hmm… denial ain't gonna help you."

Getting a little conscious now, the blonde had to check. She lifted her shirt up, a thin layer of fat starting to build up. Not very noticeable to the untrained eye. Where had  _that_ come from? And when?

Casting her mind back, Rachel thought about what she had been eating recently, horrified when she realized Chloe was right. Normally, she was pretty careful with her diet, eating as healthy as possible and exercising at least once a day. When was the last time she had seriously considered her meals? Or made a conscious effort to get out of her room outside of classes and investigating?

"I blame you for this. Shit, no more junk food. Period," the blonde announced resolutely, narrowing her eyes at the other girl.

"Not like I force fed you or anything," Chloe countered, licking her fingers. "And chill, you're still totally fine. Besides, I bet chubby Rach is cute too." Smirking, she rested her hand on the blonde's still flat stomach.

"Ugh, don't even joke about that," Rachel groaned, wondering where the hell her head had been, too busy hunting down clues.

"Who says I was joking?" the bluenette added, only half teasing. She tried to imagine it, approving of the mental image.

"Well, it ain't happening in this lifetime, sorry to disappoint." From now on, she had to be careful. She didn't want to start developing bad habits.

"Says the girl who's still shoving food into her mouth," Chloe pointed out with an amused grin.

Rachel looked at her hand, noticing the half eaten pizza slice. Sighing, she put it back down in the box, Chloe snatching it almost the second it hit the cardboard.

"I really hate you sometimes," she mentioned jealousy, wondering where the bluenette put it all.

"Not most of the time, though," Chloe managed between bites, finishing off Rachel's abandoned slice of pizza and stashing the rest on the chest of drawers for later, rummaging around in the top drawer. "You know what goes well with pizza?" A few seconds later, she pulled out a small plastic baggie, shaking it coaxingly.

Eyeing up the offering, Rachel shrugged. "I dunno, not really feeling it today."

Chloe did a double take, almost dropping the weed from her shock. "Uh… wait, what? Shit, I think that's the first time you've ever refused. You feeling okay? You're not suddenly on one of those like super strict health kicks now, are you?"

"No, I just don't fancy it right now. More for you, right," she replied softly.

"Um, sure… wouldn't feel right without you doing it too, though," Chloe muttered in response, eyes flicking between the weed and Rachel, focusing longer on the blonde each time.

"Well, you can wait if you want for another time," the blonde suggested. "Don't want to stop you."

Giving her a searching stare, Chloe tried to figure out what was wrong with her. "Is this all because of the junk food thing?"

"Look, Chloe, can we just drop it for now, okay. Guess I'm just in a bit of an off mood, that's all. Nothing you've done or anything, before you ask," she added as an afterthought.

"Oh, okay, well… if you need to talk about it or anything… not now, but…" Chloe stuttered, trying not to piss her off more. "I'll just shut up now…"

Normally, Rachel didn't like poking around in her business too much but the bluenette couldn't help it today for some reason. She felt like she should offer, at least. Maybe it was something about her expression now, much softer and vulnerable than she was used to seeing from the mischievous blonde. It was… kinda weird, honestly. Almost like she was a totally different person. Whatever was on her mind must be really bothering her.

Sighing, Rachel gave her an appreciative smile. "Thanks, Chloe. I'll keep it in mind. I think, uh, just chilling out with you will help."

Again, the bluenette was left a little winded, not used to her being so… direct about her feelings. By nature, she was super cryptic and avoided anything too mushy, preferring to make a joke out of it. She was so confused right now, feeling Rachel shift a little closer and rest her head on her shoulder, interlinking hands. Sure, she was always kinda touchy feely but not really in this context. This felt more… tender, maybe?

"Um, no problem." Realizing she wouldn't figure it out tonight, Chloe pushed the weirdness aside and focused back on the film. Not that she was complaining or anything.

Yet another weird day to add to the ever-growing list…

* * *

_Rachel found herself at the bottom of the lighthouse path, uncertain when or even how she got there. Everything seemed calm, trees swishing in the gentle breeze as the sun cast warm rays. She appeared to be alone, Chloe nowhere in sight. Or anyone else, for that matter._

_Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something strange - what looked like a doe or something. It almost seemed to glow, or maybe it was a trick of the light. When she took a step closer to get a better look, it started making its way slowly up the winding path. Every now and then it stopped, waiting for her._

_Not seeing anything else to do, she followed it. She wasn't known for her caution, after all. Whatever was going on, she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Eventually, she reached the top and looked around for her animal guide._

_She watched it circle the area, first stopping by a tree trunk to the left, then at the cliff edge by a bench and finally by the lighthouse. It looped a couple of times before fading through the door leading into the tall building. Before it left, it stared right at her, gaze piercing her very soul._

_It sent a shudder down her spine, the translucent animal trying to communicate something to her. In that moment, she felt the presence in the back of her mind kickstart, compelling her forward._

_She knew where she had to go next._

* * *

After class the next day, Rachel managed to convince Chloe to continue their once postponed search for answers. The bluenette had hoped the week long break meant the end but… apparently not. Grabbing a bite to eat, Rachel making sure it was something actually healthy this time, the pair made their way to the lighthouse in Chloe's truck.

As the bluenette drove, Rachel began fiddling with the radio settling on a tune very unlike her usual tastes, not the usual party anthems - the softer side of the indie scene. Honestly, Chloe couldn't complain much. She wasn't a fan of the Vortex Club playlists. A song she recognized drifted through the speakers, melancholic.

_**Goodbye to my Santa Monica dream/Fifteen kids in the backyard drinking wine/You tell me stories of the sea/And the ones you left behind** _

Chloe frowned at the choice, confused. "I thought you didn't like this one."

"I never said that. Just gotta be in the mood for it, is all. And I am today. I mean, we can switch back to the regular stuff if you prefer," the blonde suggested with a knowing impish grin.

"No fucking way," she interrupted before Rachel could actually follow through.

"Figures," Rachel chuckled, hazel eyes focused on the world passing them by.

Sometimes, Arcadia Bay could be really breathtaking, warm watercolor sky with the sun's warm orange glow. As a rule, she was always on the go so didn't get much time to appreciate it. Recently, she'd slowed her pace down and seen almost a new side of the sleepy town. As fun as wild ragers were, everyone needed a break from it.

Eventually, the truck pulled up at the bottom of the cliff, both girls getting out. The wind had picked up a little, Rachel grabbing the dark green hoodie once draped over the back of her seat. Not the height of fashion but it did the job.

"Glad to see you rocking casual chic," Chloe added, playfully elbowing her in the ribs.

Shaking her head, the blonde shoveled her arms into the sleeves. "So long as you're not being sarcastic, thanks."

"Me? Sarcastic? Never," the blue-haired punk countered innocently.

A smirk tugged at Rachel's lips. "Well, not like I have to get dressed up today or anything. I'm  _only_ hanging with you."

"Ouch,  _major_ bitch alert," Chloe chuckled, not taking offense. It was all just friendly digs, nothing serious.

That made the shorter girl roll her eyes. "Pfft, like you care what clothes I wear. I reckon you're more interested in what's underneath, anyway," she finished with a coquettish grin.

"Touche, so let's get this wrapped up already," Chloe announced, unable to really deny it as they began their ascent.

It didn't take them long to reach the top, getting a great view in return for their effort. The water below glistened, surface calm. Birds swooped lazily overhead in soft circles. Trees swished in the cool breeze, casting long shadows from the long hanging sun.

Chloe shaded her blue eyes with her hand, staring out over the water from the top of the path. "Arcadia might be a shitpit but damn, it has some nice scenery in places."

Standing beside her, Rachel took in the same sight. "Just don't wander too far into town. It needs a  _serious_ facelift."

"They might as well just bulldoze the whole lot and start over. I'm sure the Prescotts would if they could," the taller of the pair commented bitterly.

"Well, if they add a decent mall, I'm game," Rachel added to lighten the mood.

It did seem to help a little, Chloe actually breaking a smile. "Way to sell your soul to the devil, Rach."

Rachel waved the comment away dismissively. "Eh, did that years ago, Price. Anything else is extra by this point. Anyway, as nice as it is theorizing about the imminent destruction of Arcadia Bay by Prescott greed, let's focus on what we came here for."

"Right, a daydream…" the bluenette sighed.

"Hold off on the snide remarks until I'm proven right. Otherwise, you'll just embarrass yourself." Giving Chloe a mocking pat on the cheek, Rachel wandered off to her first stop, the tree stump.

Remembering the pattern the dream ghost doe had followed, she approached the old stump and crouched down to get a better look. There was something carved into the bark, sharp and jagged.  **Bay or Bae? How about BOTH!**

"Shit, this one seems aggressive," Rachel muttered to herself, snapping a picture and doodling it in her notebook.

Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Chloe trying to look busy inspecting an abandoned fire pit outside the lighthouse. At least she wasn't complaining too much today. Clearly, everything about this freaked her out, as it  _should._ Something about all this was… off. A moment later, the bluenette wandered over to the bench by the cliff edge, flopping down on the creaky wooden planks.

Needing to go there next anyway, Rachel sauntered over and stood behind, resting her chin on the other girl's head as her arms wrapped around her. "Don't go all sulky on me now. We'll do something you wanna do when we get back."

Tracing a few indentations in the wood - all kinds of messages there, none relevant - she sighed. "We'd better. I'm not gonna freak myself out for free."

Before either of them could continue, their surroundings drastically changed. Pastel sky turned gray and overcast. Wind howled, no longer gentle and so much colder. Rain lashed the ground and their skin, icy pinpricks. Thunder rumbled, lightning crashed to earth in jagged electric bolts. The once calm waters became choppy, waves angrily crashing against rock down below. In the center was something that made their blood run cold… a monstrous swirling tornado.

Just as soon as the storm started, everything shifted back to calm. The whole experience only lasted a few seconds, enough to take it all in. When their surroundings stabilized, neither of them spoke for a moment or two. Their clothes, hair, and skin felt damp, as if they really had been subjected to the strange alternate clifftop.

"What the  _fuck_ was that?" Chloe managed, visibly shaken by the drastic shift in weather.

Something creaked behind them, hazel and blue eyes wandering over to the lighthouse behind them. Unlike before, the door was slightly ajar. They exchanged a glance, confirming what they already knew.

"Don't think it was like that before…" the blonde muttered, eyes fixed on the rusty hinged door.

"They blocked that door off  _years_ ago. Some kid got hurt messing around in there…" the bluenette recalled, frowning as she got to her feet.

Rachel nodded, knowing which incident she was talking about. "Yeah, I remember. Slim chance they suddenly decided to re-open."

Tearing her eyes away from the ominous door, Chloe crossed her arms. "Don't even  _think_ about suggesting what you're about to."

"Oh c'mon, Chloe. We gotta investigate. You don't want me to tell everyone you're a scaredy punk now, do you?" Rachel teased, hoping that would be enough to get her moving.

"This is fucking insane, Rach. I mean, the other stuff, that was weird, this is  _horror movie_ level. Wouldn't be surprised if there was some psycho with a chainsaw inside," she muttered, skeptically eyeing up the doorway.

"More likely some high teen if anything," Rachel scoffed, not hesitating to poke her head inside.

It was pretty dark and musty, left unopened for the best part of five years. Or something like that, anyway. Taking her phone out, she switched on the flashlight and let the dim beam fall on the interior. A spiral staircase led up to the top, currently blocked off with no way around. Dust and cobwebs coated the area, a table pushed against the wall with a chair and an old radio. There were some unopened crates and boxes too, most sealed shut.

Before venturing further, Rachel gave Chloe the all clear. "Well, no chainsaw wielding psychos yet. Or high teens. Seems pretty empty, aside from an army of spiders and roaches."

"You're really selling it to me…"

Growing tired of the resistance, Rachel grabbed onto the bluenette's arm and dragged her inside. "See, nothing in here."

Not waiting for an answer, she began circling the lower level. When she reached the table, she began fiddling around with the radio, nothing. As she turned, it burst to life in a mess of voices, music and static feedback before it went silent again. The sudden sound caught her off guard, body jolting from the shock.

Chloe actually managed to laugh. "If you'd jumped any higher, you might hit your head on the ceiling. Considering your height, that's saying something."

The blonde just stuck her tongue out, noticing a couple of things tucked underneath the radio. On top was another crumpled and ripped piece of paper, just like at the swimming pool. This one was a little longer than the last.

' _Then I had another nightmare. Or duskmare. I was right back at the lighthouse in a storm, except this time I was following a ghostly deer until I got to the edge of the cliff. I could see the tornado destroying everything in its path, and again I could feel the cold sting of the rain. The lighthouse was crumbling and I felt so helpless watching the tornado move towards the town.'_

"Huh, seems familiar…" Rachel muttered, the account a mixture of both her dream last night and the weird hallucination thing mere minutes ago.

Underneath was something new, a water damaged Polaroid. The colors bled but the subject of the photo was still visible… a blue butterfly. Taking both items, she showed them to a reluctant Chloe.

"Not a deranged serial killer in sight, just an innocent photo of a butterfly," Rachel playfully quipped, watching the bluenette examine her findings.

The photo sent inexplicable shivers down Chloe's spine, a sense of seemingly unfounded dread building up in the pit of her stomach. "I'm not so sure…"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally got another chapter of this written up, yay! Stay tuned for more…


	9. Piece By Piece

**Chapter Eight: Piece By Piece**

Recently, Frank had been thinking a lot about his life choices. He had plenty of time to do that, lounging around in his RV waiting on drug text appointments. When he attended Blackwell, he got involved in the wrong crowds, gone totally off the rails and never quite got back on. He had so much potential, not a total brainiac but intelligent enough to keep a decent GPA. Nobody would probably guess, but he was really into art - had a knack for drawing in particular. A talent he had squandered in the face of drugs.

The years passed, venturing deeper down the rabbit hole. More drugs, gambling problems - illegal dog fights especially - and all kinds of dodgy shit. Eventually, he'd seen the light on at least a few of his vices. That was when he saved a bunch of dogs, including Pompidou. Honestly, that scruffy mutt was one of the best things to have happened to him in a long time.

Right now, the German Shepard Pitbull mix was snoring, twitching and boofing in his sleep on the bed beside the tattooed blond man. Frank smiled, lightly scratching the dog behind his ears before getting back to his bean meal and beer. Pompidou was all the family he would ever need… but he had been wondering whether he should try to get in touch with his parents. They hadn't parted on the best of terms, to say the least. All of them were getting older, too old for this shit.

Maybe it was time to start cleaning up his act, getting out of the drug dealing game and into something he actually enjoyed. Or at least, try to. Whether he actually could or not, that was another story. Still, if he never tried, he'd never know.

Maybe it'd stop the Blackwell kids from using. As far as he was aware, he was pretty much the only dealer running in Arcadia. Some of them had serious issues, like Nathan Prescott. And he could afford it. Others, like Chloe and Rachel, sure as hell couldn't. They tried to get loans from him. For a while, he'd entertained them on small amounts. Problem was, it was never enough. When they started owing him in excess of $200, he stopped. Sure, they hadn't been overly happy but accepted it eventually. Not much else they could do. They still managed to score somehow, scraping money together.

Where drugs were involved, you could rack up an impressive debt. He learned that the hard way. Maybe he could stop them following in his tracks…

* * *

Nathan Prescott had learned several things over the past few months or so, mostly about himself. There was a lot of unresolved anger trapped inside, needing an outlet. For a time, he'd found solace at the bottom of bottles and in drugs, taking him away from the reality of it all. At first, it worked. Not so much now.

On several occasions, he'd been pretty much catatonic, making Victoria worry. She was about the only friend he had, real friend. It made a change for someone to give a shit; his father sure didn't. In fact, the blonde had been the one to suggest he go to some kinda anger management classes or something. He'd laughed it off when she first suggested it. The more he thought about it, the less hostile he became to the idea.

Eventually, curiosity got the better of him and he actually attended a session. In all honesty, it felt like the right thing to do. He'd always had issues, even more so since hitting his late teens. They did seem to be helping little by little so he decided to persevere. It would be a slow journey, he knew that, but one worth making.

Whatever happened, he  _refused_ to turn into his father.

* * *

Recently, Logan had been really trying it on with Dana, but something warned her that he was  _major_ bad news. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. Wherever the feeling came from, she was compelled to pay attention. Instead, she had been sticking close to her friends, like Juliet, Kate, and Trevor. Decent people who were easy to talk to and didn't constantly hit on her. Sure, it was nice sometimes to be complimented and flirted with, just not as aggressive, basic or relentless.

For the past few days, she had been organizing a girls' movie night with the dorm and actually managed to get everyone on board, even Stella who was usually holed up in her room studying. Nobody had backed out yet, either. A rare occurrence, not that she was complaining. It would be nice to get everyone together.

No doubt Rachel would bring Chloe along, too - those two were joined at the hip, especially recently - which might make for some… interesting exchanged with Victoria. Although, the self-proclaimed queen bee of Blackwell had calmed down as of late, same went for the other two. The general atmosphere of the dorm was calmer, more harmonious with everyone at least tolerating each other. It almost felt surreal, in all honesty. Like a hazy dream or illusion. Again, no complaints.

It wasn't just the dorm, Blackwell in general felt like a happier, more relaxed place to be. Same went for Arcadia as a whole, reaching a weird kind of symbiosis almost. Unlike before, it didn't feel like a ghost town. Business seemed to be picking up, too. A small miracle, really. Whatever was going on around here, she hoped it continued.

* * *

**Three Days Later - Price House**

With David at Blackwell for a late shift, Chloe and Rachel decided to visit Joyce and take advantage of her home cooking. Much to the bluenette's protest, the pair helped her prepare their meal. The older woman was definitely in her element, delegating tasks and keeping them in order. For instance, when Chloe tried to issue a challenge for a food fight, she was glared down. Joyce could be pretty scary when she needed to be.

Minus a few attempts to hijack food preparation on the blue-haired punk's part, everything went without a hitch. Soon enough, they were ready to eat. With the girls setting the table, Joyce dished up and brought the plates over to the table. It was hard to get a family meal these days, since David and Chloe pretty much couldn't even spend a minute in the same space without exchanging hostile glares. Most days, anyway. Lately, they had both been slightly better - silent disapproval of each other's existence instead of verbal - sometimes destructive or physical - assaults.

The three women sat at the table, ready to eat.

"I have yet to find anyone who makes better meals than you, Joyce," Rachel mentioned as she started working her way through dinner.

Joyce had taken her request into account, keeping it as healthy as possible. At least, her portion. Chloe, of course, had utilized her plate to the fullest, avoiding anything that looked remotely like a vegetable.

The older blonde smiled, carving into her modest sized chicken breast. "Well, flattery will get you everywhere with me."

"Kissass," Chloe accused, giving her shin a nudge under the table.

"It's called 'being nice'," the young blonde corrected, making sure to chew her next mouthful properly. "Maybe you should try it some time."

That made the bluenette scoff loudly before ripping into her next bite. "Pfft, fat chance."

"Good luck with that, Rachel. I've been trying for years," Joyce sighed melodramatically at her daughter's animalistic eating habits.

Rachel shrugged, taking a sip of water. "I like a challenge."

"You must to hang around with my daughter." The older woman passed a sideways glance Chloe's way, who narrowed her eyes.

"Wow, Mom… that was just plain rude." Her frustration only lasted a few seconds, swiftly returning to the more pressing matter of food.

Joyce chuckled softly at the mild indignation. "You've got to admit, you can be hard work sometimes."

"You guys just don't appreciate me," Chloe countered confidently. "I'm  _well_ worth the effort."

"Hmm… I gotta wonder sometimes." Her blonde friend smirked, almost challenging.

"Oh, I will so hit you if you keep that up," Chloe threatened, only half-kidding.

"It would hardly be a fair fight… for you," Rachel added as a smug afterthought.

"I don't particularly want a hospital visit or late night patch up session, if it's all the same to you," Joyce interjected before things could get out of hand. "Wouldn't be the first time. Well, more for the latter. And I do actually like having a full set of matching plates, for a change."

Before anyone could reply, the front door opened. Rachel peered around the corner just in time to see David enter.

"Just great… thought tonight was going too well," Chloe grumbled, playing with the remaining food scraps on her plate. "Guess the universe hates me, or something if they send step-douche to break up the party."

"Huh, figures you'd be here," David grunted when his eyes fell on the blonde girl.

"Hello to you too, David," she replied, trying to sound civil. It was no secret that the ex-soldier had it in for her.

"Now, David please play nice. Same with you, Chloe," Joyce added, both demanding and pleading. "No need to make this unpleasant."

Kicking off his shoes, David trudged upstairs to get a shower. He was too tired to argue. While he did that, Chloe and Rachel made sure to finish eating their food, the bluenette grabbing a slice of Joyce's famous chocolate cake to take upstairs before he returned. They shut themselves away in her room, safely out of the way.

"Ugh, why does he have to be home early today of all days," the bluenette complained, flopping down on her bed with a frustrated sigh.

Rachel followed her, taking the taller girl's hands in hers. "Not much we can do about. So long as we don't give him a reason, he won't bother us."

"I dunno, he creates reasons sometimes…  _most_ of the time," Chloe emphasized, really holding a grudge.

An idea crossed Rachel's mind, one she was sure Chloe would approve of. "I  _might_ just have a way of making your night just a little better."

Sensing where this was going, the bluenette managed a grin. "Oh, do tell."

Rachel brushed some faded blue strands from her face, hand lingering on her cheek. Leaning in, their lips melded together in a kiss. Then another and another until they had let themselves fall back onto the mattress. Their limbs tangled as they shared tender kisses, not quite as forceful as usual - a growing trend. With David and Joyce around, this was about all they could do without drawing too much attention.

Just as things started to get a little more heated, wandering hands and baser intentions, the Hi-Fi in the corner of the room flickered to life, juddery and jolting. Both Chloe and Rachel stopped what they were doing, passing an uneasy glance at the once silent Hi-Fi.

_**To all of you/American girls, it's sad to/imagine a world without you/American girls I'd like to/be part of the world around you/driving a car by the seaside/watching the world from the bright side** _

_**To all of you, American girls in the movies/No one can tell where your heart is/American girls like dollies/With shiny smiles and plastic bodies** _

_**I wish I had an American girlfriend** _

At that point, the soft indie song came to an abrupt halt, dead as could be. It was Chloe who broke the silence first. "Uh, I… didn't even know it was plugged in. Weird. Never done  _that_ before. Guess it's… busted or something. Nothing new in this place."

"Are you seriously gonna pass it off as a coincidence? After everything we've seen?" Rachel asked incredulously.

"Graffiti messages, notes and photos are one thing, this…" she paused, frowning, "…is something else entirely."

"As much as you don't want to believe it, something or  _someone_ is trying to communicate," the blonde insisted just as firmly.

"What or who, though?" Chloe shot back, frustrated. "And if you suggest something like aliens, I am so not taking you seriously."

Still unsure herself, Rachel passed it off as a joke. "If I knew, do you really think I'd be so intrigued? That's boring, no fun mystery to unravel."

"I'm starting to suspect this mystery ain't the fun kind," Chloe muttered under her breath.

"Whether you like it or not, this mystery - fun or otherwise - is following us. Both me  _and_ you," Rachel pointed out. Both of them had experienced strange things, her most of all. Sighing, she pressed a kiss to the grumbling bluenette's cheek. "And I need you as my partner in crime in all this."

"This is just… ugh, I don't know how to describe it. Like, part of me really wants to find out but… it keeps getting blocked by… something else and I just want to avoid thinking about it forever," Chloe finished, expression conflicted.

Rachel shook her head, looking the bluenette straight in the eyes. "The Chloe Price I know doesn't let other people or emotions tell her what to do. She's a rebel to the end. So, if something keeps stifling your adventurous side, you should do what you do best. Give it the middle finger and do it anyway."

Shaking her head, she tried to suppress the grin threatening to break. "You always know what to say to get me riled up."

"It's a talent of mine. Don't worry, Chloe. We'll get to the bottom of this somehow," the blonde reassured, resuming their make out session.

She knew they were getting closer with each discovery. All they had to do was wait for the pieces to fall into place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just what is going on in Arcadia Bay? Stay tuned to find out...


	10. Missed Call

**Chapter Nine: Missed Call**

**A Week Later**

Ever since Chloe and Rachel went to the lighthouse, their situation had only gotten stranger. Things like the TV and Hi-Fi randomly turned on, sometimes repeating the same channel or music station. Not only that, but their phones had been acting up. They got texts that made no sense whatsoever, calls that led to silence or weird sounds lasting only a few seconds before they were disconnected. It happened at unpredictable times and places, early or late, in class or at home. Each day, at least one weird thing happened.

The bluenette tried to brush it off still, claiming everything she owned was broken anyway. It was getting to the point where she was finding it harder and harder to use the coincidence excuse. No matter how hard Rachel tried to convince her, however many times she got her to accept it, Chloe always reverted back to her state of skepticism. Her mind shut off, a defense mechanism. It frustrated both of them to no end.

It had been over a week since the blonde had received any definitive signs of where to investigate next, her mental guide offering nothing more than silence. That only seemed to happen when something big was coming up. At least this gave her time to consider everything they had seen until this point. Well, gave Rachel time.

Lying on her bed, she idly flicked through her notebook, examining all the clues she had collected. First, the graffiti. In the junkyard, underneath their handiwork  **'Max was here'**  had been added. Was that the identity of the… presence that had been trying to communicate? The  **'Dead end. Go back three spaces and repeat'**  left on the fountain. Clearly, someone felt stuck, doomed to repeat something. Next,  **'Torn from the Jaws of Death… over and over. Here marks the first'** found in Blackwell's bathroom. That one was ominous, to say the least. So, somebody had died there, but not permanently? How? As far as both girls were concerned, death was irreversible.

On the rooftop, they had found  **'Get it right this time'**  accompanied by a drawing of a spiral. That fit in with the theme of repetition, endless loops seen throughout everything they had uncovered so far. Another curious addition, the  **'I dare you'** in Chloe's room. That one didn't give away much, if anything. Was it a dare to dig deeper? Or a warning… Next had been the Two Whales,  **'What's in my pockets? Can you guess?'** which had led to the bluenette acting strange, a weird sense of deja vu. Finally, their most recent discovery on a seemingly inconsequential tree stump -  **'Bay or Bae? How about BOTH!'**. A choice of some sort, one the decision maker seemed reluctant to make, adamant to avoid. Perhaps a matter of life or death?

And what about the weird notes? The first at the pool, suggesting investigation mentioning both Rachel - in reference to a 'Dark Room' - and Nathan. The one at the lighthouse had perhaps been weirder, mentioning some kind of storm and a ghost deer, similar to the blonde's dream before.

Speaking of dreams, what about Chloe's muddled up memories she had never experienced? And that time at the pool where she had heard voices. There had also been another dream on Rachel's part, filled with emotions and fears that were not her own. Not to mention the water damaged butterfly photo.

Even though they had found all this, they were not much closer to discovering the truth than at the beginning. They were missing something major, the keystone connecting all the pieces together. As time passed, Rachel got more determined and antsy to find out the whole truth.

Just as she came to the end of her internal review, she felt something tug at her mind. Maybe now was the time to make a move. Chloe had gone to get a shower and should be back very soon… but maybe she didn't want to wait that long. Smirking, she slid off the bed and headed down the corridor. As she got closer, she could hear one shower running and humming.

Not even bothering to announce her presence, Rachel stuck her head through the shower curtain getting sprayed by water droplets. "Just how long are you going to be?"

The bluenette paused her humming, rolling her eyes not embarrassed in the slightest. "Didn't realize there was a time limit."

"When we have places to go… and people to do…" Rachel added as an afterthought, grinning. "Yes, there are time limits."

Suspicious, Chloe finished washing out the shampoo from her hair. "Where do we have to go?"

"A special trip to the forest," she replied simply.

With a sigh, Chloe shut off the water and dried herself off. "For your weird treasure hunt?"

" _Our_  weird treasure hunt," the blonde corrected firmly, "And yes."

The blue-haired punk looked like she was about to protest, instead remaining silent while she got dressed again. Once ready, she gave a small shrug. "Not much point in arguing."

"Doesn't usually stop you," Rachel smirked, taking her by the arm and leading her over to the parking lot.

It didn't take them long to reach the outskirts of the forest, parking up near the junkyard and venturing deeper from there. Chloe, who usually strode ahead making full use of her height, hung back a little, matching the blonde's steps. Noticing her anxious reluctance, Rachel casually slid her hand in the bluenette's, guiding her forward. In all honesty, she wasn't all that sure about where they were supposed to be headed. Every so often, she felt a spike in a certain direction, turning to face it.

After some time, they made it to a clearing. In the middle sat a solitary tree, thick trunk and snaking branches. Perched amongst them was a rickety tree house, planks of wood nailed to the tree serving as a ladder. Sensing they were close, the blonde picked up the pace and began to climb. Chloe followed up after her, slower.

When they reached the top, they took in their surroundings. The wooden planks making up the floor had holes in, creaking under foot. Cobwebs coated the corners, dust lining every square inch. It must've been a long time since anyone came here.

"Funny how I've never really been here before. Seems like it's been set up here for a while, don't you-?" Rachel halted when she noticed how pale Chloe had turned, fixed to the spot. "You okay?"

The concern fell on deaf ears, the bluenette's mind flashing with images she didn't recognize. A young girl, perhaps? Laughter, teasing. Something to do with pirates. Ghost stories, dares, photos, content silence on occasion… It felt like she was watching a fast-moving slideshow, years of unknown memories making up its content. Bittersweet.

" _Chloe…"_ A voice echoed in her mind, a mere whisper.

Tears stung at her eyes, body shaking as the word lingered. Before she knew it, she had slumped down the wall, face buried in her arms as she sobbed her heart out. Why was she crying? She very rarely cried, preferring to get angry instead and smash things. Now, she was bawling her eyes out, the most tears she'd shed in… years.

She felt something on her shoulder, pulling her closer to a gentle warmth. "Hey, what's wrong?"

The bluenette couldn't answer, glancing up from her arms to see Rachel's concerned expression. Without warning, she threw her arms around the blonde's neck, continuing to let out all these weird emotions she was feeling now.

Rachel was really confused by the sudden outburst, not questioning it for the moment. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Chloe, holding her tight and rubbing her back. Seeing the blue-haired punk cry like this made her feel awful, almost guilty even though she had no real reason to be. All she wanted was for Chloe to smile again. In another turn of events, she found herself crying. That was perhaps an even rarer sight to behold.

They stayed like that for some time, clinging onto one another like their lives depended on it. Neither of them really understood what was going on right now, didn't think about it too much. It was better to just accept this was happening, whatever  _this_ was. The only thing that stopped them was the sound of Chloe's phone going off with a call.

Sniffling, the bluenette reluctantly untangled herself, frowning at the non-existent caller ID. Sharing a confused glance with Rachel, she answered it.

"Uh… hello?" she hesitantly said, waiting for a reply.

Just as she was about to hang up, she heard something on the other end of the line, cut up by static. "...oe… ice… me?"

The disjointed sentence didn't reveal much, if anything. "Um, what?"

"...er… me?" the voice repeated, breaking up.

"I don't…" Chloe began, trailing off when she heard move noise.

"...stuck… mber...?" her unknown caller replied, trying to convey something. Unfortunately, it was impossible to know what from the terrible call quality.

Thoroughly confused, the bluenette turned to Rachel. "This is so fucking strange."

"Give it to me," the blonde demanded, taking the phone. "Who are you?"

"...achel… ber…" the voice called out, seeming to address her.

Raising an eyebrow, Rachel tried to make sense of the response. "Are you… trying to say my name? Rachel Amber."

"Y… yes…" This was clearer than the last, actual distinction in the echoey voice.

A million questions rushed to the front of her mind, two of which stood out more than any other. "How do you know who I am? And why are you calling Chloe's phone?"

"...st… stuck… help…" the voice seemed to almost plead, words lost.

"Stuck? Stuck where?" Rachel insisted, wanting some kind of answer from this weird call.

"...n't know… bet...ween… fading… you..." The voice was getting weaker by the second, harder to distinguish from the static.

"I don't understand." Her comment went unanswered, the call ending abruptly. She stared at the phone's screen, confirming it was disconnected. There was no number to call back, any records suspiciously erased. "What the fuck was that about?"

Chloe took her phone back, eyeing it up like she expected it to bite her. "I have no clue… whatever it was, I didn't like it."

"It has to be related to all the other weird shit," Rachel concluded, feeling an involuntary shiver run down her spine.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a jagged scrap of paper, similar to the ones they had been collecting. Some kind of diary entries from what she could make out. Slowly, she reached out to take the balled up note, unfurling it. This one seemed more erratic, especially the lower part. Taking a deep breath, she read it out.

' _Chloe is back! I didn't care that this was the real end of the world… It just felt so good to hold her again after everything we'd been through. I thought about all the timelines I'd jumped through for her, and how much she's always meant to me… Our lives have always been entwined.'_

"Timelines?" Chloe repeated, baffled. "What does it mean? And… why does it mention me?"

Rachel was more preoccupied with the messier, choatic part of the note, feeling the color drain from her cheeks.

' _We finally found Rachel Amber. Dead and buried. I'm sorry, Rachel. I'm sorry, Chloe… FUCK YOU, ARCADIA BAY.'_

"What the fuck?" Chloe breathed, snatching the paper from her hands and re-reading the last part over and over again. "I don't… what…?" she stammered, no words capable of expressing her shock.

They both remained silent, trying to get their heads around everything that had happened in the past few moments. Rachel wasn't dead… so, why were they seeing this note? Was it something to do with the past entry, about timelines? More than one reality… but, surely that was just make believe. Just another plot for a nerdy sci-fi, right? Somehow, they both suspected that wasn't the case.

If this was real, a big if, why was someone - or something - trying so hard to show them? What did that achieve? How did something that may have happened in another possible parallel universe, a weird thought in itself, affect them? Clearly, it did if the notes really were referring to them. With everything else they'd found and experienced thus far, it was hard to suggest otherwise.

Putting the scrap in between the pages of her notebook, Rachel got to her feet. When Chloe stayed where she was, kneeling on the floor, the blonde held out her hand and helped the dazed bluenette up. Silent, they left the tree house behind, bringing back more questions than they had come with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this one won't have more than 15 chapters, possibly less. All will come to light soon…


	11. Reach Out to You

**Chapter Ten: Reach Out to You**

Several days had passed since their last encounter with what they could only assume was Rachel's mental guide. They had needed that time to process everything they heard then. A broken conversation, multiple timelines and… death. It didn't seem real, but it was too much of a coincidence to dismiss.

Once again, the blonde's onboard GPS system had gone silent. All they could do was wait around until it gave them some direction again. Up until now, they had avoided talking about it. Or rather, Chloe had. Rachel tried several times to bring up what they had seen, getting shut down. Understandably, the blue-haired punk didn't  _want_ to even think about her friend dying.

_No way._

One thing she had noticed, Rachel had been acting… kinda strange ever since the treehouse visit. In fact, ever since this whole shitshow started, she'd been behaving oddly. Sometimes, she would just stop. Something in her expression and eyes shifting almost to the point where she didn't seem like the girl Chloe knew anymore… but somehow not totally unfamiliar. Some of the things she said and did had changed, subtle yet definite.

The way Rachel looked and smiled at her seemed to have become… softer? It felt weird, but only in the best way.

For the umpteenth time, the blonde in question flicked through all the clues they had collected. It felt like they were so close to an answer, still missing the lynchpin. Once or twice over the past few days, she had felt the presence in her mind flicker. It seemed much stronger than before, but still not enough. Every now and then, she had strange part thoughts, nothing she could comprehend. One thing she  _did_  know, they sure as hell didn't belong to her. Although, the distinction was getting more blurred with each passing day.

Something big was going to happen, and soon. She could feel it in the air. Would they finally understand just what the hell was going on in Arcadia Bay? With them?

Another strange thing that had happened during the wait for their next hint: the weather had been acting up. Rain and wind almost 24/7, unrelenting. It was forecast to be like that for at least another day or two, if not longer. She had seriously started to wonder if everything was connected somehow. To most, that might seem like a ridiculous notion. The more she saw of this mystery they were being dragged along, the more she believed it. No proof, just her gut feeling.

Unable to keep her thoughts in any longer, she turned to the bluenette lying beside her. "Chloe… I know you don't want to talk about… what we saw, but…"

Having expected this talk, and not able to justify brushing her off anymore, Chloe sighed. "Just… say what you gotta say."

A little surprised by the lack of resistance, Rachel cleared her throat. "I know things have been… strange recently…"

"Understatement," the bluenette muttered under her breath.

Ignoring the comment, she continued. "I don't really understand it any more than you do. All this talk of… I don't know… just everything we've seen is so surreal. All the graffiti, the dreams, the notes…" she paused, recalling her own death sentence note, "they  _have_ to mean something. And… I get the feeling they are going to start making sense soon."

That made Chloe scoff despite her best efforts to refrain. "What, did your crystal ball tell you that?"

Instead of retorting with a similar level of sarcasm, the blonde let it go. "Something like that. You trust me, right?"

"Duh," the punk replied instantly, "but… I don't know what this thing in your head wants."

Rachel cast her mind back to the disjointed conversation from the other day. "Well, it sounded like a cry for help to me."

Shifting slightly to face her, Chloe suddenly looked very serious. "Yeah, but from  _who_?"

"Someone who seems to know us," Rachel replied vaguely, not knowing the answer.

A slight smirk tugged at the taller girl's lips. "That really narrows it down."

Narrowing hazel eyes, Rachel gave her a shove. "Alright, enough snark from you."

Chloe's smirk widened. "There is no Chloe Price without snark option, I'm afraid."

"Hmm… can I get a refund then?" the hazel-eyed blonde teased, getting a lazy middle finger in return.

The rain which had been pelting the window since this morning slowed down, gray clouds gliding across even grayer sky. It was then that she felt that familiar twinge in the back of her head; it seemed her passenger was starting to wake up again.

Noticing the shift, Chloe bit her lip. "Does that mean we have to get moving again?"

Focusing, Rachel tried to pinpoint some kind of instruction. It took a few moments before a location became clear. She frowned slightly, wondering why it meant something to their situation. Without a word, she slid out of bed and headed across the hall. A room number had materialized in her head, feet almost moving of their own accord. Not even Chloe's confused shouting after her slowed her pace. No hesitation, she reached out for the handle to room 219. It was empty, she knew that much. Had been since the beginning, something she did find a little odd.

Unlocked, the door swung open to reveal an empty room. What else had she been expecting? And yet… she felt compelled to go inside and explore.

"Rach? What are you…?" Chloe's question trailed off, watching her step inside and look around.

She too stepped into the room, a flood of emotions threatening to overwhelm her. Just like before at the treehouse, she wanted to cry. Her heart felt heavy, mind throwing shattered memories around like confetti.

While she was stood there stunned, Rachel had been looking for whatever she was supposed to find. She checked the closet first, nothing there. On the desk, again nothing. When she got to the chest of drawers near the bed, she pulled the top one open. Inside was a photo. There was a girl, long blonde hair, mischievous blue eyes and a slight smirk. A pirate hat sat atop her head. What  _was_ strange was the obvious space beside her, totally empty. Or at least… at first glance.

When she squinted, she could just about make out a second figure. Their features were obscure, impossible to make out. Like one of those supposed ghost sightings captured in photos sometimes. Confused, she turned it over in her hands. On the back was a messily scribbled note, barely legible.

_**If you want answers, come to the Lighthouse in three days.** _

Frowning as she turned the photo over again, she glanced over at Chloe. The blue-haired girl was frozen to the spot, tears in her already red eyes. Heart sinking, Rachel moved across the room and enveloped her with a tight hug. It only took a second for Chloe to return it, letting the tears come thick and fast. This felt stupid, crying over nothing. Except… it  _was_ something, she just didn't know what.

Yet.

When she was capable of speaking again, she swiped at her eyes. "Fuck, I don't think I've cried this much since… since dad died. And for what?"

Rachel gave her a gentle smile. The blue-haired punk barely talked about William Price, even now the thought too painful. Joyce had said more about him than Chloe. Weirdly, it felt like the blonde knew him already.  _Much_ better than she ever should.

"I guess we'll find out soon." Rachel handed Chloe the photo, watching her stare at it and then the message on the back.

"What the…?" Her eyes widened slightly at the ghostly figure beside a younger version of herself. "Who…?"

"Could be our mystery guide," Rachel suggested, the most logical - if it could even be called that - explanation.

The bluenette didn't reply, staring at the photo. Something wasn't right here.  _Not. At. All._

* * *

**Three Days Later**

A beat-up yellow truck pulled up into Arcadia Bay's beach parking lot. The engine juddered to silence, a tall bluenette and hazel eyed blonde stepping out. Crabs scuttled away from them, birds taking flight to escape potential danger. They didn't say a word, slamming their doors shut and heading towards the clifftop path.

In the distance stood the lighthouse, their destination. Each step felt heavy, the desire to turn back mounting. Shaking hands found one another, gripping on tight to steady their resolve. A black bird watched over them, eyes focused on the pair. In the undergrowth, a small doe - an animal who under such circumstances should've bolted - seemed to examine them almost with curiosity.

After what felt like an eternity, they reached the top of the path. Blue and hazel eyes fixated on the lighthouse door, apprehension starting to set in. They had been here once before, but this time seemed so much more important. A wave of calm passed over Rachel, emanating from deep inside. She had a good idea where it came from.

"So…" Chloe began, uncertainty clear as she eyed up the door. "This is it, I guess."

"I guess so," the blonde agreed, wondering what would await them this time. "Come on, let's go."

She pulled forward, only to get tugged back. "Rach, wait…" The shorter girl glanced back, noticing the worry. "I… I don't know about this. What if… all this messed up shit leads to something we don't  _want_ to find."

This clearly wasn't just some high school prank. She couldn't think that anymore. It was something much more ominous. Was she ready to face whatever it was? Maybe that was the scarier part, not knowing and not being able to prepare herself.

Rachel came to stand in front of her, eyes filled with determination. "Is that what you really think will happen?"

"Maybe…" the taller girl muttered softly.

Letting out a small sigh, the blonde gave Chloe's hand a squeeze. "Well, I'm going in there. I won't force you to come along."

"Like I can let you go in there on your own…" she scoffed; that  _wasn't_ an option, "And you damn well know that."

Unable to help the slight smile, Rachel coaxed her closer to the lighthouse with a gentle tug. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Opening her mouth to protest, the blue-haired punk hesitated then sighed. "There's no arguing with you, huh?"

Only offering a wider grin in response, Rachel dragged her over to the door and they stepped inside. Not much had changed since their last visit. The difference this time, the stairwell was no longer blocked off. The two girls exchanged glances, mutual agreement about how weird this was.

"Up is the way, it seems," Rachel announced softly. "Hope you're not afraid of heights."

"Me? Afraid of heights? No way. More afraid of what's waiting at the top," the punk added as a muttered afterthought.

After giving the bottom floor a quick check to make sure they didn't miss any subtle clues, they began their slow ascent up the spiral staircase. Rachel switched her phone flashlight on to help guide them. Last thing they needed was an accident. Footsteps echoed, faint scuttling from animals who had made the abandoned building their place of residence for the past few years.

"What do you think is up there?" Chloe finally asked as they approached the next floor. "And… do we have to go all the way to the top?"

Something in Rachel's mind told her yes. "Yup. Somebody clearly thinks we need more exercise."

Slightly out of breath already - she blames cigarettes - Chloe huffed out a sigh. "Whoever is doing this should've chosen somewhere with an elevator. Fucking asshole."

"Just try not to keel over before we make it to the top," Rachel chuckled as the bluenette flipped her off, continuing to grumble under her breath.

Eventually, they made it to the top. Chloe leaned against the wall, breathing in and out deeply. "Thank fucking god… I never thought that was going to end."

Shaking her head, Rachel began looking around as she always did when her weird mental passenger sent them anywhere. "Less talk, more search."

"You are such a slave driver…" the bluenette shot back, pushing off the wall. "Lucky for you, I don't want to wait around here any longer than I have to."

Both girls began their investigation, checking the top level of the tower. Only the light stood between them and the open sky. This floor seemed to have been used as some kind of makeshift office a lifetime ago, a dusty desk pushed into the corner with a slightly nibbled seat. Pieces of paper littered the floor alongside empty bottles, broken glass and other trash.

"I guess we aren't the first brave souls to venture up here," Rachel added light-heartedly.

"We never are. After today, I've seen enough lighthouse to last me a lifetime," the other girl replied, moving aside some of the papers with her foot.

While Chloe checked the side nearest the stairs, Rachel headed over to the desk. She tried the drawers, not budging an inch. Maybe locked… or maybe just stuck. Setting her feet firmly on the floor, she gave the right a few firm tugs. It rattled, definitely locked. Frowning slightly, she moved over to the other side.

Curious to see what she was up to, the blue-haired punk approached as she watched her friend try to yank the second drawer open. "Son of a… I'm sure this one will open if I just…"

Smirking, Chloe motioned for her to move out of the way. "I got this."

The confidence made the blonde smile back challengingly and step aside. "Oh really? Well, be my guest."

Firming up her stance, Chloe pulled on the drawer. When it didn't open, she grabbed it with both hands and tugged. Getting frustrated when it still didn't bend to her will, she put all her weight behind her next yank. The drawer slid out suddenly, making her stumble back.

"Whoa, watch it." Rachel caught her before she landed flat on her ass.

Regaining balance, Chloe cleared her throat. "Thanks."

"Don't sweat it." The blonde crouched down and searched the now exposed drawer.

There were some papers inside, nothing out of the ordinary. Removing them, she handed half to Chloe and they began skim reading through. Taking up a spot on the floor, they checked every note finding nothing.

"Great,  _that_ was such a good use of my time," Chloe sighed, throwing her set of papers down.

"I don't get it…" The presence in her head hadn't led them astray yet… so why now?

Chloe stood, beginning to pace. "Maybe this was a prank after all. An elaborate one yes, but still a fucking prank."

Rachel knew better than anyone that when Chloe Price got angry it was best to let her get on with it. Trying to calm her down only made her worse… and led to serious damage. Fists clenching, the bluenette kicked the papers. They fluttered around her, temporarily suspended in the air.

"I can't fucking believe this. No wait, I  _can_."

Had everything she felt up until this point just been a figment of her imagination? Something her mind concocted for no damn reason, dragged along for the ride? Anger rising, she picked up the drawer and smashed it into the ground. That rage faded almost instantly when the bottom fell out, replaced with surprise.

"What the…?" Before she had the chance to even breathe again, Rachel had moved the drawer to find another piece of paper.

The blonde's eyes took in the new finding, widening slightly. Her face turned pale, expression turning almost trance-like.

"Rach, you okay?" Chloe asked, not getting a response.

The other girl simply held out the paper in her hands, prompting her to take it. Gulping, the punk took it with slightly shaking fingers, worried about what she might find. The words she saw confused her.

_**"Chloe Price is my destiny, and I am going to make damn sure she's happy... even if... even if I'm not there to see it."** _

She read them over and over, wondering just who would write something like this. When she glanced up ready to discuss their findings, she noticed Rachel wobbling slightly. Moving on instinct, she practically jumped to the blonde's side in time to catch her weight.

"Shit! Rachel?" Chloe carefully guided her down to the floor, back leaning against the wall. She crouched down, checking she was still breathing, which thankfully she was. Gently, she tapped the other girl's face in an attempt to rouse her. "Fuck, come on. Wake up, dammit!"

Just when she was ready to call 911, Rachel stirred. Her eyes flickered, a soft groan echoing. Chloe let out a sigh of relief, ready to help out any way she could. They had spent long enough up here, answers or not.

When her friend finally opened her eyes, the blue-haired punk's heart stopped. She almost couldn't believe what she saw and yet… how could she deny it? In that moment, she was certain this was the time for their promised answers.

And she wasn't sure she was going to like them.  _At all._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, guys. Been hella busy. Hopefully will get the next chapter out fairly soon, which may or may not be the last.


	12. Missing Link

**Chapter Eleven: Missing Link**

For the longest time, Chloe simply stared at Rachel. And the other girl stared back, blankly for a while. Neither spoke a single word. The thing that had practically frozen the bluenette to the spot was bizarre, surely impossible or… highly unlikely at the very least. Rachel's left eye, normally hazel, had changed. It had been slight yet noticeable at first, shifting from a greeny brown to… blue. She wanted to believe it was a trick of the light, or lack thereof, but it became increasingly impossible to deny.

"R-Rachel?" Chloe finally managed, throat dry and voice hoarse.

The blonde girl's eyes suddenly snapped to attention, the right still hazel and the left unmistakably blue now. She smiled, similar to all the smiles Chloe had received from her recently. The trademark feather earring she always wore almost seemed to… glow a faint ghostly blue.

"Hey, Chloe. Long time no see." Even her voice sounded… different. Softer, quieter. Not the loud and proud roar she was used to hearing.

"W-wait… what do you… what…?" she stuttered over her words, not sure what to think.

That made Rachel's smile widen. "Rare to see you speechless. I'll take that as a victory."

It took a few seconds for the blue-haired punk to snap out of her confused daze, putting a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "Rach, you're acting… really weird."

Eyes softened, almost apologetic. "Rachel isn't here now."

That statement made her frown. "I don't… look, this was such a great prank, okay. I'll admit it, you had me going but… now is the time to  _stop_. You're scaring me. Lemme guess, the eye's some kinda contact, right?"

Something sad flickered in her eyes, the blue one in particular. "I wish I was joking right now. Don't worry, I didn't mean she's  _gone_ gone. No, that's what I've been trying to avoid."

"You are not making any sense right now. Did you hit your head or something? We should go and get you checked over. Now." Just as she made to get to her feet, a hand grabbed onto her arm.

"Chloe, stop. I need to tell you something. Something important," Rachel announced, her expression turning serious.

Fear rising, she looked at her best friend and maybe girlfriend - that part had always been complicated. "We can talk about whatever you want later, okay. Just… come on. Let's go."

The blonde shook her head. "I… can't. Not yet."

"Why the fuck not?" Chloe snapped, raising her voice more than she meant to.

Wincing slightly, Rachel sighed. "It's linked to what I have to tell you. Please just… hear me out first, okay. You wanted answers, right? Well, you get them here or… not at all." She glanced away for a moment, guilt flooding her features.

Not having much choice, the taller girl didn't try to leave again. Instead, she sat down in front of Rachel ready to listen. "Fine, but make it quick."

Somewhat relieved, Rachel nodded. "Thanks. I promise this is important. This might all sound hella crazy but… please just keep an open mind."

"Okay, not strange at all…" Even more than before, Rachel seemed like a totally different person. Her expressions, voice, body language…

The blonde managed a self-depreciative grimace. "The strangest."

* * *

_Rain lashed against skin, wind howling. Two girls walked up the clifftop path towards Arcadia Bay's lighthouse. One was unconscious, brunette and freckled. The other, tall and blue-haired. As the latter struggled against the weather, she called out to her friend._

_When they reached the top, they collapsed to the muddy ground. "Max? Max, can you hear me? Please, say something."_

_The once unconscious girl - now identified as Max - blink several times before looking at her companion._ _"Chloe? I… I must have passed out… Sorry."_

_Chloe exhaled deeply, relieved. "Oh, thank God… Don't you ever do that again, okay?_

_"I swear… but that nightmare was so real… was so horrible…" Helping Max up, Chloe joined her as she stared out over the water. A gargantuan tornado swirled, heading straight towards the sleepy town of Arcadia Bay. "This is my storm. I caused this… I caused all of this. I changed fate and destiny so much that… I actually did alter the course of everything. And all I really created was just death and destruction!"_

_Shaking her head, the blue-haired punk grabbed onto her friend's shoulders. "Fuck all of that, okay? You were given a power. You didn't ask for it… and you saved me. Which had to happen, all of this did… except for what happened to Rachel. But without your power, we wouldn't have found her! Okay, so you're not the goddamn Time Master, but you're Maxine Caulfield… and you're amazing."_

_The brunette met her gaze for a while, blue eyes slowly drifting back to the storm bearing down. Neither of them said a word, only able to watch._

_Sighing shakily, Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out a photo depicting a blue butterfly. "Max, this is the only way."_

_"I feel like I took this shot a thousand years ago," the shorter girl mumbled, staring at the photo with a wistful expression._

_Struggling to say something, Chloe swallowed hard. "You… You could use that photo to change everything right back to when you took that picture… All that would take is for me to… to…" She buried her head in her hands, stifling a sob._

_Max seemed confused for a second, eyes widening slightly as she put two and two together._   _"Fuck that! No… no way! You are my number one priority now. You are all that matters to me."_

_The bluenette's face softened, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I know. You proved that over and over again… even though I don't deserve it. I'm so selfish… not like my mom… Look what she had to give up and live through… and she did. She deserves so much more than to be killed by a storm in a fucking diner. Even my step… father deserves her alive. There's so many more people in Arcadia Bay who should live… way more than me…"_

_"Don't say that… I won't trade you," the brunette replied, distress clear in her voice._

_Slowly, Chloe shook her head. "You're not trading me. Maybe you've just been delaying my real destiny… Look at how many times I've almost died or actually died around you. Look at what's happening in Arcadia Bay ever since you first saved me. I know I've been selfish, but for once I think I should accept my fate… our fate…"_

_"Chloe…" Max's protests were cut off before they could even begin._

_"Max, you finally came back to me this week, and…" She faltered, exhaling deeply to regain her composure. "You did nothing but show me your love and friendship. You made me smile and laugh, like I haven't done in years. Wherever I end up after this… in whatever reality… all those moments between us were real, and they'll always be ours." Eyes filled with gentle resolve, she stared at her friend. "No matter what you choose, I know you'll make the right decision."_

_"Chloe… I can't make this choice…" Max pleaded, wanting nothing more than to curl up and cry._

_Tears still streaming down her face, her demeanor much calmer than it should have been, Chloe managed a sad smile. "No, Max… You're the only one who can."_

_Those words resounded in Max's head, the weight of the situation hitting her. Either sacrifice Arcadia Bay or… Chloe. Both options were awful, the latter even more so. That didn't make the choice any easier. She had friends in Arcadia, people who didn't deserve to die. Neither did Chloe. No,_ _**especially** _ _not Chloe._

 _Clenching her fists to stop the shaking, Max met her best friend's eyes. "I mean it, Chloe. I_ _**can't** _ _make this choice. It's impossible. How can I condemn a whole town of people to die? How can I just decide to let_ _**you** _ _die? Could you choose?"_

" _Max, I…" the bluenette didn't finish her sentence, not sure how._

" _That's what I thought…" Max stared out over the water at the tornado, then glanced down at her hand. "I'm not going to let_ _ **anyone**_ _die."_

_Before Chloe had the chance to even register that sentence, the shorter girl shoved out her hand. She watched the storm slow recede, feeling a flicker of relief as it retreated across the water. Then, a sharp pain stang at her mind. That familiar barrier. Doing her best to ignore the pain, she pushed hard to continue rewinding._

_Hand shaking, vision blurred by pinpricks of white light, stomach churning, it felt like needles were being pushed into her brain. It would be so easy to stop now, to give up, but she couldn't._

_Time. She needed more time. Time to come up with a plan. Time to end this once and for all._

_Groaning, she refused to back down. Her entire body burned, searing pain. She wanted to throw up, to pass out… the world around her jolted, colors bleeding. It was any wonder how she could still stand. Her face was stained red with the blood oozing from her nose, gravity weighing her down a hundred times more than usual._

_It couldn't end like this. She_ _**wouldn't** _ _let it._

_Echoed whispers surrounded her, images flickering at a million miles an hour. Thousands of possibilities, only some of which she saw through to completion. Every cell in her body screamed, on the verge of being torn apart at the seams. She couldn't survive much longer like this…_

_With every ounce of strength she could muster, she pushed everything as far back as she could. If nothing else, she would make sure that this reality would never reach its twisted conclusion._

_Ever._

* * *

_It was quiet… dark… empty. A void of nothing except a single small spark. Dim, it floated in this blackness, drifting. How long had it been? There was no answer to that. Time meant nothing here._

_As the ghostly husk let the darkness take it along, it was slowly drawn towards a thin sliver of light. It was distant, barely visible. Almost as if pulled along on a rope, the presence slowly inched towards this last hope._

_Before, it hadn't cared about what happened. So long as nobody died. When it finally got here, it felt… afraid. The thought of disappearing completely, to have never have existed… it was too much._

_The journey over was excruciatingly stretched out, the spark only able to travel with the void. What if the only hope left faded away, like the presence could at any second. Eventually, it made it to the desired destination and latched on. Already, it felt more secure. Still very weak but not in immediate danger of disappearing._

_What had it even anchored itself to? That was a secondary thought. One which presented a surprising answer, an answer which made sense. A girl, hazel-eyed and blonde. Someone the presence had never met yet heard so much about. Faint rock music thrummed through the silence, voices and a vaguely familiar face. One more presence to anchor itself to._

_With no idea what would happen next, all the ghostly remnant could do was wait._

* * *

_It had been three years since the specter first materialized. In that time, it had experienced a side of life it never had the chance to see before. Its own memories came and went, but it always remembered a girl and a town. An impossible choice. The reason it ended up here._

_Over the years, it had managed to anchor itself in many ways, most strongly to its first 'host'. The thick orange tendril coming from the energy orb signifying that connection. Another one, blue this time, linked it with the second earthly counterpart. Other weaker lines stretched out, interlinking like a spider web. Its presence in the other world had reached the point where it could manipulate certain elements of reality, finally call out for the help it desperately wanted._

_What did it hope to achieve? One simple task: to not disappear._

* * *

_The presence had been working hard to guide its two main anchors to the truth. The more they recalled, the stronger its grounding in their world… the ghostly specter's world. It had influenced them, dropped hints where possible. Now was the time for something more ambitious._

_A conversation._

_For a long time, it had tried to manipulate anything it could to get the plea for help across. Recently, there had been some success. The two girl were in a place strongly associated with the orb of energy, had been given as many clues and briefly recalled long lost memories. Perfect conditions._

_Focusing hard, the presence locked its focus on the nearest medium - a phone. It rang, eventually answered._ _"Uh… hello?"_

_That voice… the presence knew it well. "Chloe Price. Can you hear me?"_

_Static, followed by a confused and broken, "Um, what?"_

_Elated, it continued. "Do you remember me?"_

_Crackling and interference, followed by an unfinished sentence. "I don't…"_

" _Chloe, I'm stuck here. I can't leave, not yet. Do you remember me yet?" The presence asked, hoping the answer would be yes._

_Muffled voices, indistinguishable. Then, a new voice. "Who are you?"_

_This response was much clearer, belonging to the primary host. "Rachel Amber."_

_It was easy to sense the confusion radiating from the blonde girl. One the orb had accompanied in life for… three years now. "Are you… trying to say my name? Rachel Amber."_

_"Yes! Yes, I am." The presence was thrilled; it could finally communicate with them._

_"How do you know who I am? And why are you calling Chloe's phone?" Rachel asked, a little echoey and muffled but understandable._

" _I'm stuck. Seriously stuck here… wherever her is… I need help," the presence pleaded, hoping its words were heard._

 _"Stuck? Stuck where?"_   _Rachel pressed, voice fading in and out of sounding muffled._

_That… was a good question. "I don't know. I wish I did. Somewhere between realities or world. I'm fading and I need you to help me."_

_The plea remained unanswered, connection lost. So close… yet not close enough._

* * *

As Rachel came to the end of her explanation, reciting events that Chloe couldn't remember, she swallowed back tears. "So, do you understand now? Who I am."

The bluenette was stunned into silence. What the blonde had just told her… it didn't seem possible. "I… you're saying that I know you… or knew you?"

Rachel nodded, expression solemn. "In another timeline, yes. My name is Max Caulfield. Your childhood best friend. I saved you from getting shot with my rewind power. Rachel was missing, we tried to find her… and we did. She was… dead. A storm threatened to destroy Arcadia Bay. I had a choice. One I refused to make. It almost destroyed me."

The blue-haired punk stayed silent as she listened, trying to get her head around it. Under any other circumstance, she would have outright denied such an impossible explanation and yet… deep down she just  _knew_ it was true. Faint tendrils of memories she couldn't quite get a hold of.

"I know this is a lot to take in… and I know what I'm doing right now is… unfair… I thought I could be happy if you just lived on, even if it was without me but…" she hugged herself with hunched shoulders, very unlike Rachel's normal posture, "...I'm scared. No,  _terrified_. I… dying I could take but… the thought of just… disappearing, never having existed…"

They were silent for some time, Chloe eventually speaking up. "So, what are you going to do now?"

The modelesque blonde's face turned solemn. "Something I… I'm not sure will work. Over the past three years, I've been trying to anchor myself to whatever I could find. Rachel was… the first. Then you."

"Me?" Chloe frowned, head flooding with questions.

Nodding, she continued, "I think… I managed to latch on to the day you guys first met. But I'm not totally sure, I was pretty out of it back then. Anyway, there might be one way I can stay."

The bluenette had a bad feeling about this all of a sudden. "Which is?"

"To finish off what I started. Basically, to completely merge my presence…" she glanced away guiltily, "...and Rachel's. Why do you think she's been acting so differently? Dressing down, eating things she wouldn't normally, taking an interest in hobbies she didn't care much about before, listening to music she never really did before… being much more openly affectionate."

"Wait… that was  _you_?" She supposed it made sense.

Rachel had been kind of… stand-offish at the start. Chloe had attributed that to her whole family bullshit. To an extent, maybe it was but… recently the shift had been way more drastic.

"Not all," the other girl was quick to reassure. "I just… nudged her in the right direction. She does care about you, a lot… but so do I. In a different way, but ultimately the same. Before I… disappeared, I think you felt the same too. I mean, you did dare me to..." A rare blush graced Rachel's face, catching Chloe totally off guard, "...to kiss you."

Vague and hazy recollections suggested that was true, bringing with it a torrent of confusing emotions. "So what? You want my permission or something to hijack Rachel?"

Chloe hadn't meant it to sound so… sharp, but she couldn't help it. Had everything she seen and felt until now been a lie? How did Rachel  _really_ feel about her?

Rachel's eyes widened, both blue and hazel shocked. "No, no that wasn't…" Hesitating, she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't want this to happen. I was only trying to make you happy, keep you and everyone in Arcadia Bay safe. Keep everyone out of danger…"

"Ra…" Chloe caught herself, remembering her situation. "Max, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just… this is all really confusing."

"Tell me about it." A self-depreciative smile tugged at her lips. "And you know, I'm not even sure if I can survive without Rachel or if she can without me."

That sounded… ominous. "What do you mean?"

"I can't be certain but…" biting her lip, the blonde hesitantly continued, "...maybe this is what was supposed to happen all along. Well… I was supposed to save her. Everybody compared me to Rachel and maybe there was a reason for that. Maybe we're more alike than we seem. If I do… merge with her, I'm pretty sure we'll be okay. If… I cut loose now, I'm not sure. I'm so entrenched in her now… it'd be like digging up a hundred-year-old tree by the roots."

"If you do…" the bluenette let out a deep sigh, not wanting to believe she was actually saying this, "...merge with her, will she still be there?"

"Yes." There was no hesitation in that reassurance. "The Rachel you know, she's a mix of me and her. More her than me. She would still be the prevalent one in this, inheriting all my memories, knowledge and feelings. It will take to sync up properly, but I made pretty good headway already."

Chloe nodded, not want to broach the next topic. "Is there a chance it could…?"

"Go wrong?" she finished for her. "I won't say no. I have… no idea what I'm doing, if I'm honest. I was just like with my powers, trial and error. Ultimately, her opinion is the one that matters most. I'll… let her decide."

Heart dropping, Chloe wasn't sure what to do or say. "Max…"

"Listen to me, whatever she decides… I just want you to know that I love you. So  _damn_ much… and I want you to be safe and happy and…" The tears started falling, makeup starting to smear. "I'm sorry."

Unable to watch her cry, Chloe pulled her into a tight hug. "Shit… don't apologize. You saved me, Rachel… everybody."

They stayed like that for a while, the blonde clinging on tight. If the blue-haired punk closed her eyes and focused, she could recall a time where she had been the one to bawl her eyes out. A… dark room. Pictures. The junkyard and… death.

Had that really happened?

Eventually, Rachel pulled back slightly wiping her eyes. Her eyes fixated on the punk, one still blue. Without any warning, she lunged forward and pressed her lips against Chloe's. It took her a second to realize what she had done, pulling back abruptly.

"Shit… I'm sorry… I…" She was cut off, lips brushing against her. Uncertain at first.

The moment of surprise fade and she found herself pushing back. It wasn't like before, when she was a backseat passenger. She could… feel it all much more now. The softness on her lips, warmth, the beating of her own heart… alive once more. Several breathless moments passed them by until the blonde finally pulled back. When she did, her eyes had turned to normal again. Hazel.

"Rachel?" the bluenette called out, hesitant.

The only answer she gave was a smile. One that answered the rest of Chloe's questions.

* * *

**Three Years Later - Los Angeles**

It had been a  _long_ day. Rachel had been at a photo shoot since early this morning. She was still getting used to her new busy schedule, trying to make a name for herself. Honestly, she was close,  _very_ close. Being much shorter than the average model had hindered her career somewhat, but never stopped her.

No matter how grueling it got, she had one thing that always made it better.

As she walked out into the parking lot, she heard a horn honk. Smiling, she turned to the familiar yellow truck. It had been fixed up a little, still kinda rugged - a presentable worn effect. Approaching the truck, she leaned down on the driver's side.

"So, are you gonna invite me in or what?" she asked the tall bluenette at the wheel.

A slight smirk pulled at the corners of her mouth at the old game. "I don't know. I'm not supposed to give rides to strangers."

Rolling her eyes, the blonde leaned in and kissed her soon to be wife. "Better find out  _before_ we get hitched, huh."

Chloe shrugged. "Nah, it's cool. I'm just in it for your family fortune."

"Oh yeah, you're the trophy wife." Rachel chuckled as she got into the truck.

As they drove, she messed around with the radio changing it to some kind of obscure indie channel. Chloe didn't say anything, silently shaking her head. The past couple of years had been hectic. After all this time, they finally got out of Arcadia. They had both worked hard, saving every dime up they could scrape together. Eventually, they got enough to leave.

Now, they were working just as hard to travel the world in search of adventure. The bluenette managed to take a mechanics course, almost waltzing straight into a job. When she put her mind to it, she could be crazy efficient at getting what she wanted. Amongst the list: Paris, Russia, Greece, Kathmandu.

For once, life seemed to be going their way. Like everything had just fallen into place, righted itself. Shit, they deserved it after all the suffering. Blue eyes drifted over to the blonde, smiling to herself. She was grateful for this chance, and she owed it all to one person. A person she almost lost and wouldn't remember a single thing about. Every day, she made sure to show it.

Rachel caught her staring, laughing. "You dork, what are you looking at?"

"You," Chloe answered simply. "Both of you."

No more missing links in the chain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, finally finished. One down, many to go. Not sure what we'll focus on next trying to complete. *inspects long list of fic ideas, both ongoing and upcoming* Guess we'll see.


End file.
